Some Things
by snip-snippet
Summary: 5 years after the Wu, The Dragons have split up, each one watching over a quarter of the world. With no evil in sight,Kimiko reluctantly goes about her life as a rich heiress when Jack shows up, after 5 years of absence. He brings with him a proposition.
1. Prologue

Ok guys, so I'm coming back to fix all of my many, many grammatical errors (also other assorted, really embarrassing slips) with the help of the wonderful Ruby-Blade-Princess who very generously offered to Beta-read for me.

Prologue – At dusk we meet

A chill wind blew. Autumn was setting in as September progressed. She shivered slightly as the cool breeze picked up again. 'Should've worn a coat.' she thought irritably pushing the hair away from her face.

She was watching the city from on top of one of its taller buildings. The sun was setting in the distant horizon coating everything in an orange glow. Darkness wouldn't last long, she knew. As soon as the last rays would fade the neon would hum to life. The city was never as alive as it was come night fall. The ghost of a smile touched her lips. 'Love a good party. But I'm more of a day person. Must be an elemental thing.' she mused.

Five years since the Shen Gong Wu fiasco. Battle after battle, until at last they had all the Wus in their possession. 'Funny, she thought, one would think the battle for the last Wu would be epic'. Far from it. By that time, Chase Young, who had never been too keen on the Wus had given them up all together, presumably having found some more engaging evil to occupy his time. It was he who banished Hannibal Bean back to the Yin-Yang dimension after Omi recovered the Moby Morpher, thus getting the evil bean out of the race for Wus. For Wuya hope died last. She'd fought, and fought well, but against four accomplished Dragons, she'd been grossly outnumbered. And so Raimundo had retrieved the last Wu, defeating the witch in what would be the final Xiaolin Showdown. After her defeat, she had left to join Chase, or so they had guessed. That left Jack. Jack. He'd vanished from the radar months before the final battle.

She paused her train of thought. Jack hadn't resurfaced in all these years. She'd heard nothing of him. No news of robots wreaking havoc, no petty crimes, nothing good, nothing evil. Nothing. Jack Spicer had effectively disappeared. To be fair, they'd never given him much thought. Jack Spicer was a nuisance.

Kimiko heaved a frustrated sigh and crossed her arms over her chest. Five years. Five sad boring years. Five years of only having social calls to wake up to. As the daughter of a rich Japanese businessman, owning an extremely large and popular company, it was her duty to attend events and charity balls and stuck up parties.

The team split after taking care of the Wu. Each Dragon was assigned a quarter of the world to look over. She'd gotten Asia and a slice of Europe. Her existence was ruled by an agreed upon motto: "Lay low, intervene discreetly". Needless to say, this did not go down well with her. This course of action did not match the style of the Dragon of Fire. Still she complied.

The sun slipped under the horizon. And with the dark there came a voice: "Amazing I can still recognize you, what with all your makeovers; but really I could never mistake you for anyone else. Kimiko."

Kimiko snapped her head around to face the source of the voice. A silhouette, clothed in shadow, was leaning against the wall of the elevator house. Kimiko squinted in the dark, resisting the impulse to simply light a fire. The voice, it was familiar, but she couldn't think where she'd heard it.

The shadowed man solved the problem by stepping into a cone of light provided by one of the freshly lit lamps. Her eyes widened and the word escaped her lips before she could stop herself "Jack!"

And there was no doubt that it was him. Older, taller, but still Jack Spicer. The same shock of bright red hair adorned his head, pushed back away from his forehead by a pair of orange goggles. His clothes were slightly different, but he still seemed to prefer black. Also, the same was his apparent fondness of long dramatic coats. The two straps crossing each other over his chest revealed the presence of his Jet-Pack. Her eyes settled on his face. Red eyes watched her from a ghostly white face. The familiar dark marks still framing them. His lips were twisted into a smile.

It was those eyes that swept over her figure from head to toe. "A little more formal than I remembered. But hey! At least we're still on a first name basis." He observed.

Kimiko fell easily into her battle stance, only slightly hampered by her tight pencil skirt. "Jack Spicer" she hissed, trying to contain the excitement the prospect of a fight raised in her. It had been so long. Forever ago.

He took a step backwards lifting his hands, palms facing her, in a placating gesture "Easy baby, I've no foul play in mind!"

Kimiko lifted an eyebrow 'baby?' out loud she asked "Oh yes, because you're always so true to your word."

Jack smiled a crooked grin, "Since that's what you think, I guess saying I've changed won't carry much weight with you?"

She didn't dignify his question with an answer, settling instead on giving him a "D'oh" look.

Spicer's shoulders slumped in mock defeat "So little trust." he said in a woeful voice, reminiscent of the younger Jack. "I suppose it can't be helped. You know of my priors." He smiled crookedly again. "Actually Kim, I dropped by to say hello to my favorite Dragon." His smile ebbed slightly encountering her deadpan look "No go, huh?"

Kimiko straightened up. The seams on her skirt were beginning to complain, and besides he didn't feel particularly threatening. Nothing new there. "Sorry Jack, but I believe some things never change." He shrugged. "Why are you really here?"

His smile dropped. Jack was watching her with a seriousness that was entirely new. Kimiko surprised herself by thinking that he'd grown to be quite attractive. "So tell me Kimiko. What's the point of asking me questions, when you don't plan on believing the answers?"

She stared, then smiled "Touché. I guess we're at an impasse then. So why don't you just run along back to that hole you've been hiding down these past few years. Go on scat!"

Jack winced "Ouch Princess! The years haven't made you bitter I hope?" But he did turn and began walking away. Over his shoulder he called "I'll be seeing you around Tohomiko-hime" with that said he stepped off the building.

Kimiko didn't run to see if he'd plunged to his death. She knew better. Kimiko smiled. Jack was cliché, and he loved to make an exit. Flashy entrance too, now that she thought about it. Entering just as the last light of day faded. Typical.

It made her wonder though. Why now? Why her? And what did he mean by that last bit?

Kimiko groaned "Mm. Maybe I should've kept him for further questioning and made sure he answered truthfully" she clenched her fist experimentally "No point in crying over spilt milk" she lifted her eyes and stared off in the direction Jack had disappeared into.


	2. Chapter 1 Another Go

Ok guys, so I'm coming back to fix all of my many, many grammatical errors (also other assorted, really embarrassing slips) with the help of the wonderful Ruby-Blade-Princess who very generously offered to Beta-read for me.

Yeah, update, told you it'd be soon. Sorry if Jack comes out as too cool which -with him being Jack- is somewhat OOC. I'll get to explaining this in a later chapter, probably the next one. Which should be on it's way as well.

Nope, still don't own Xiaolin Showdown, so don't bring your lawyers out just yet.

Chapter I – Another go

A week after that encounter, Kimiko found herself attending a formal party, hosted by one, Jeremiah Slope, celebrating one thing or another (nobody really knows what these parties are ever about. Like school, you just had to attend).

Formal, meant she had to wear a kimono. This in itself was enough to put her in a not-so-shiny disposition (an understatement). And because it was a formal party, being an insufferable snob was practically a requirement. She sipped at her champagne, trying to drown out the chatter of her neighbors who were fulfilling said requirement, and pretending to enjoy themselves.

Kimiko could only take so much. Patience was never a strong point of hers. She smiled her excuses and focused on walking away. This took a lot of concentration. No matter how many years of martial arts training she'd had, Kimiko had never been able to master walking on traditional zori with her legs wrapped in a kimono. It took a special kind of talent to that. A talent she did not posses. Finding a convenient pillar, away from most of the crowd, she leant against it gratefully.

The sound of rustling fabric caught her attention. Someone else had leaned against her column. Kimiko decided to ignore the new arrival. Flirting was not on her agenda for the night. Not unless he came offering a quick getaway plan for two.

"Tiresome, aren't they?"

The voice froze her blood, and she almost dropped her glass "Jack" she breathed.

Clothes rustled again. He straightened and rounded the pillar coming into her view.

Kimiko couldn't help but stare. Jack Spicer in normal clothing. Well, she amended, different, non-goth clothing. He wore black pants and a white shirt with an emerald green vest on top. The only 'Jack' touches to the clothes were the thin silver chains hanging from the vest pocket and the waist of his pants. No goggles either. His red hair was combed back, and looked slightly more neat than usual, with only a few rebellious strands falling over his forehead. The eye makeup was still there though. Kimiko quirked an eyebrow.

Jack gave a little start, he had been looking her over as well "What am I thinking? Where are my manners?".

She was just about to ask 'What manners?' when he surprised her by doing something unexpected. Kimiko was so shocked she couldn't recover in time to react. Jack suddenly reached forward and picked up her hand. It was what he did next that made her jaw drop. In one fluid motion he brought it to his lips and lightly brushed a kiss over her knuckles

"Konbanwa Ohime-sama" he whispered softly, smiling wickedly up at her.

Kimiko gaped at the red haired man in utter dumbstruck shock.

He seemed mildly insulted at her obvious disbelief "What, you didn't think I could do polite and chivalrous?"

Getting a grip on herself, Kimiko relaxed back against the stone pillar "No Jack, I didn't think you had it in you." as an afterthought she added "You speak Japanese?"

He pouted at her jibe "Oh you know, a simple phrase here and there. Can't seem to get the hang of kanji though. Horrible little buggers."

She laughed. How strange that it would be Jack Spicer who would make a terrible party feel bearable. She'd always had him pinned as the guy who crashed the party. Speaking of which…

"So what brings you here Jack?" Just two regular people having a regular conversation, no one would ever suspect them to have once been arch enemies.

Jack snorted and leaned his shoulder against the pillar "Heh. Questions again? I thought we settled upon the futility of those."

Kimiko waved a dismissive hand "Pretend I believe you. For the sake of conversation of course"

He laughed at that. It was a pleasant sound, not the stupid would-be evil laugh he tried to perfect in his youth. "Alright, for conversation's sake. What was the question? Ah yes. Well Kimiko, I'm enjoying a party. No, that's a stretch. Attending. I'm attending a party. Much the same as you really."

Kimiko lifted an eyebrow "Not to be rude, but were you on the invited list?"

He rolled his eyes at her "Not the least bit rude. How could that ever be taken as rude?" he glared halfheartedly at her "Of course I was. I'm the talk of the crowd actually" He looked pointedly at her former companions.

Kimiko shrugged nonchalantly.

"Besides" he continued looking up at a stray lock of red hair "You'd think I'd stand out in a crowd"

As if to prove his point, the host of the party took that moment to drop in on them. "Mr. Spicer, Miss Tohomiko, I trust you are enjoying my party?" Mr. Slope queried pleasantly.

Ah yes, the question asked by all party hosts who know for a fact that the party is a complete failure, but hope that the guests haven't noticed. "Oh yes excellent party" "Smashing!" they both answered. No point in hurting the poor guy's feelings.

Slope positively beamed at them, he turned to Jack "Mr. Spicer, it's been a long time since you've made a public appearance. I trust things haven't been too bad?"

Jack smiled. Politely. "Needed a break from the spotlights. I have sensitive eyes, and I burn easily" Kimiko was impressed, a perfect, polite, smiling dismissal. The man took the hint and bid them a pleasant evening, scuttling away to ask the question to the remainder of his guests.

Jack turned his attention back to the dark haired woman "I love these parties." he confessed "There's this sense of consistency to them. _They," _he stressed the word "Never change. Fact."

She chuckled wryly "I know. But really, where have you been all these years? Also, keep in mind that I _can_ make you answer truthfully."

Jack looked strangely delighted at her barely veiled threat "Kimiko, baby, still a firecracker. I would never dream of not answering your innocent questions, And you ask so nicely to boot."

Kimiko smiled pleasantly and lifted her glass in a toast. Grinning crookedly he held her toast and brought his glass clinking to hers. Over the rim of her own drink, she followed the path the glass made to his lips and noticed that the hand holding the champagne was gloved. Strange. She stored the fact for future reference.

"There were problems that needed taking care of. Problems that needn't catch the public eye." Jack answered.

She frowned at his elusiveness "That isn't much of an answer Jack." she pointed out.

"That was a very personal question Kimiko." he countered. His tone was still pleasant, but a little colder than before.

Kimiko opened and closed her mouth. She glared at him, "Alright. Answer me this. What do you want with me?"

Jack's eyebrows shot up, "With you? Kimiko, baby, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the world does not revolve around you, oh and that blush looks lovely on you. Very feminine."

"Zip it Jack." She snapped averting her face.

Her inner string of curses was interrupted by the sound of a sigh, "I said I'd be truthful. Truth is I did come here to find you."

She shot him a sideways look, "Go on. Why?"

"Now is not the best time to discuss particulars." he muttered.

Kimiko felt her temper flare. 'There we go' Kimiko thought, her suspicion rising. "Particulars." she repeated, "Uh-hum. This had better not have anything to do with the Shen Gong Wu." she hissed, lowering her voice. The Wus were as Master Fung would say, a matter of utmost discretion.

Jack shook his head, "Past. Gone and by. This is an altogether different matter. And you my dear, will see exactly what _it_ is." he said noticing her annoyance, "If you'll meet me tomorrow for a talk." He was serious now, his voice low.

Kimiko narrowed her eyes, "And why would I do that Jack?"

He smiled again, it was grim ,"Why, because you're curious of course." She was about to protest, but he cut her of with a raised finger, "Don't deny it, it's been eating at you since that day a week ago."

He dropped his head next to hers. It dawned at her how tall he was. "I don't pretend to know a great many things about you Princess, but I know one thing. You are curious. So let me put your questing mind at rest. Meet me tomorrow at fourteen hundred hours at the Strong building. Just to talk. No strings attached."

Kimiko pulled back slightly. Jack was right, she'd never get any rest until she'd satisfied her curiosity one way or another. And since he was offering… "Fine. Strong building at two tomorrow."

He smiled drawing back, "Lovely making business with you." he said bowing. He turned to leave, stopping only to drop his empty glass on a passing tray.

Kimiko was left alone leaning against her pillar, glaring at her glass. She downed it in one go. 'Damn him' she frowned. What had happened? This was not the Jack she remembered. That Jack couldn't intimidate a fly, and just now, if only for an instant, he had intimidated her. Not much, but still.

'Some things…' She thought scanning the room for a red head 'Some things do change.' she muttered. 'I liked him better when he was goofy.' she thought bitterly.

Read and Review is nice, yes? Push the button, down there, in the left screen corner, yeah that one.

Thanks to Dominosowner who is my very first reviewer Kudos!


	3. Chapter 2 A cause for change

Ok guys, so I'm coming back to fix all of my many, many grammatical errors (also other assorted, really embarrassing slips) with the help of the wonderful Ruby-Blade-Princess who very generously offered to Beta-read for me.

This Chap starts off a little slowly, but it picks up the pace. Or maybe not. What follows is Jack's emo story. I'm sorry, this is the first and last of emo!Jack you'll see in this fic. And it'll answer some things about Jack.

Thanks to xsmokeandmirrorsx , Dominosowner , Shadir and badkidoh for reviewing.

888

Chapter 2 – A cause for change

Curiosity be damned! It was only by sheer will power that Kimiko managed to get any sleep that night. And for all her effort she never managed to out-sleep the sunrise. Her eyes shot open of their own accord with the first light of day. So Kimiko began her day with only three fitful hours of sleep. She was cranky. Again. Everything involving Jack Spicer seemed to carry that effect.

Getting up Kimiko walked to her dressing table and dropped down in the cushy chair. Watching her reflection in the mirror she was happy to see that she looked better than she felt. Thankfully the bags under her eyes were barely noticeable. 'Nothing a little concealer won't fix.' she thought. She'd be damned if she'd let Jack know he had been right about her not getting any sleep.

The years hadn't changed Kimiko much. The same blue eyes watching the world from the same heart shaped face. She kept her hair in its natural dark color. The rainbow colored tresses she had favored as a teenager were left in the past. However, Kimiko did indulge in a few colored strands now and then.

After a shower Kimiko wandered into her kitchen, dressed in a tank top and shorts, disliking the feel of the cold tiles on her bare feet. 'Where are those slippers?' she wondered as she sipped her tea from her perch on one of the counters - Kimiko had never acquired a taste for the bean, so she stuck to the leaf. Some acrobatics later she was eating her way through a bowl of cereals. Cupboards were placed a little too high for her stature, but would never be out of her reach. Besides, it gave her an excuse to practice her moves. Kimiko felt rusty.

And right now she felt absolutely stir crazy. The Strong Building was only ten minutes away from her apartment, which only left, oh about four and a half hours to pass. Four hours to wonder about what Jack was going to say.

Kimiko chewed listlessly at her cornflakes, her eyes glued to the wall clock. Maybe if she'd eat real slow... She tried this. It resulted in failure, only a quarter of an hour passed and she'd had to throw away the soggy mush the cereals had morphed into.

However, it took her so long to get dressed that she needn't have bothered worrying about ways to pass the time.

"This is ridiculous." Kimiko told her reflection. She fumed as she changed for the sixth time into the grey dress. "Why do I feel like impressing Spicer?" she cried out loud. It was beyond her. 'Just go for the jeans and shirt.' she chanted hopefully to herself. Sadly it didn't work this time either, as she was still standing in front of the mirror swapping outfits.

With an exasperated noise, Kimiko slumped on her clothing strewn bed and stared thoughtfully at the ceiling. This was not because the ceiling was particularly engaging, but a notion had occurred to her stir-crazed mind. The reason for wanting to impress Jack wasn't all that complicated. He had impressed her, and Kimiko, who had never been one to settle for second place, wanted to impress him in turn.

She laughed bitterly at her childishness. But who'd have thought that Jack would ever be able to impress with something other than his amazing failures. Handsome now too, some dark corner of her mind added. Kimiko's lips twisted in distaste at the thought, even if she did not disagree with it. Some thoughts should simply never see the light of day.

At long last, and only five outfit changes later (Kimiko settled on her original choice, which just comes to show that Master Fung had always been right, and that you should always trust your instincts) Kimiko was on her way to have some questions answered.

Ten minutes and she was standing in front of the tall building. The Strong Corporation dealt in Communications, and had known an impressive rise in stocks over the last few years. That couldn't be the reason, so Kimiko couldn't begin to guess why Jack had chosen this place as a rendezvous point. She took a seat on one of the benches and scanned the crowds of passing people for Jack. It occurred to her that new Jack would go for "fashionably late". Or was that old Jack?

That train of thought was stopped by the arrival of its very object. She had to smile when her eyes picked him out. He was dressed in all-black, with orange goggles to boot. No dramatically billowing cloak though. He approached and seeing her smile, smiled back. "Kimiko. You came." He said sounding smug.

Kimiko rolled her eyes at the redhead "Jack." She said by way of greeting.

"If you'll please join me out of the cold" and before she could protest Kimiko found herself being hustled along into the building with one of Jack's arms around her shoulders. Through the lobby, up two stories, down a hallway, and Kimiko was lead into an office. Only after the door was shut did Jack remove his hand, he was also possibly prompted by her glare that threatened physical harm if he did not.

Still silent he gestured for her to take a seat at the only table in the room; she did so while Jack settled in the chair opposite. "Can I offer you anything? Tea? Coffee? A glass of water?" He asked his hand poised over a phone.

Kimiko frowned. "No Jack that won't be necessary".

"Ah." he said bringing his hand back to rest on the table's surface. "I take it you're not in a mood for pleasantries then."

She smiled coldly "Spot on."

Jack frowned, looking put out. "Kimiko you're being awfully nasty. We can't really have much of a talk if you continue to act like this".

"Well, maybe if we would actually start that talk" She muttered annoyed at being chastised by Jack Spicer.

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, reigning in her temper. Why was she angry anyway? Opening her eyes she said, "Tea, thank you."

Surprised at first, Jack grinned, pushing a button on the phone he requested tea and coffee. "There we go." He told her happily, hanging up. "Green tea is ok with you, right?" he asked as an afterthought.

Kimiko nodded, feeling her annoyance resurface. That's why she was angry. He was clearly doing this on purpose, knowing how impatient she was. "Jack, if you're not going to tell me what this is all about, then I might as well just go." she said and started to get up.

"Wait!" he cried suddenly. She snapped her head towards him in surprise. Jack cleared his throat in embarrassment at his outburst. "Sorry. Please, sit down, I was merely making sure you were comfortable. If you like you may proceed with your questions." He said recovering his composure.

That outburst made Kimiko focus more clearly on him. He looked a little anxious and maybe even nervous. Smiling to herself she resumed her seat. "Why here? Why this particular building?" she asked.

"Paul Strong is a business associate as well as a close friend of my father's. He offered me lodging and an office for the duration of my stay here. I figured this place was as good as any other. More private than others as well." he answered.

Kimiko nodded, it made sense. With that out of the way she wondered what to ask next, there were so many things she wanted to know. "Why did you need to speak with me?"

Jack's smile widened. He stapled his fingers in front of him on the table. "I have a business proposition for you Kimiko."

She raised her eyebrows, a business proposition? "Go on." she said out loud.

"In the recent years, after world-domination lost its charm." he flashed a grin "I've involved myself in a different line of work. I recover (or uncover as it turns out) expensive artifacts for buyers who request them."

His proclamation was followed by silence.

"You steal." Kimiko concluded. "Is this a confession? Because if you have a guilty conscience the police building is just a couple of blocks away." she suggested, feeling cheated. And there she was expecting something interesting.

Jack glared at her. "Very funny. But no. I do not steal. Per se. Alright I admit that the business is only semi-legal. But only because these items should be given to the respective state they were found in, instead of to my buyers. But let's face it, they offer better prices."

Realization dawned on her then "You're a treasure hunter!" she said trying, and failing, not to laugh. Of all the crazy things.

"I prefer the term relic-hunter, but yes." Jack huffed sounding insulted, he was blushing slightly as well.

Kimiko leaned back in her chair. She had had her doubts, but things were getting interesting. New Jack continued to surprise her at every turn. Not only did he have a job, which was completely unorthodox, but it did not involve world domination, and it was like he said: semi-legal. It shouldn't be so surprising though, searching for relics had to be much like searching for Wu. She stopped in mid thought.

Kimiko narrowed her eyes at him "These relics of yours, they wouldn't have any relation to the Wu right?"

Just then they were interrupted by a knock on the door. A woman carrying a tray walked in. They were both silent as the cups were placed in front of them, with only Jack muttering, "You sure took your sweet time." to the woman who hastened out of the office.

Jack carefully brought the cup to his lips and sipped at his coffee.

"Well?" she asked impatiently.

He wrinkled his nose "It needs more sugar. Oh, you mean what you said before?"

"Yes!" she snapped in exasperation.

"Right. Um, no, and I said this before if you'll recall, they have nothing to do with the Wu."

Kimiko eyed him doubtfully for another moment then shrugged "Alright." And sipped at her own tea. It did need more sugar. "So." she said putting the cup back on its saucer. "You suddenly decided you needed an assistant, and thought I was your best shot?"

Jack shook his head at her. "Princess, sarcasm doesn't really suit you. I sought you out because this particular artifact needs some special handling."

"How do you mean?" she asked frowning slightly.

"What I'm supposed to find and retrieve has allot to do with your element." he answered without really answering.

"Jack, you should know that I am not a very patient woman, so stop stretching this out and get to the point." Kimiko snapped.

He leaned back "I'm not really sure if I trust you enough" Saying this was a tactical mistake and he realized this as soon as the words left his lips.

Kimiko's temper flared like a volcano "You? You're not sure if you can trust me? Well that's great Jack. How about me? I come here, despite knowing that you are a normally untrustworthy being, to hear what you have to say. And what do I get?"

Jack waved his hands in a somewhat desperate attempt to calm the angry woman. "Look Kim, please calm down, that didn't come out right. Trust isn't an issue-"

"No Jack. Trust is the issue. Why in the name of everything holy, should I trust a single bloody word you're saying? And don't you 'Kim' me!" Kimiko was in full rage now.

Jack sighed in frustration; this conversation was taking a turn for the worse.

"I know nothing about you or your motives. You vanish for five years. Then pop up out of the blue and expect me to help you just like that?" her voice had risen in volume until she was practically yelling.

"Okay stop." Jack interrupted her suddenly. She paled in anger at this, seeing her face turn livid, Jack hurried on before she started yelling again or rose to leave "I'll tell you alright? I'll tell you what I've been about these past five years. Then will you listen to, and consider my proposition?" Telling her this was a gamble, but he really needed her help, even at the expense of his own dignity. Jack smiled darkly to himself, not like it would be the first time she would see him stripped of it.

This was surprise enough to silence her. She nodded mutely. Jack's countenance had changed completely. It was like a dark cloud was swirling around him. Intuitively she realized that whatever he was preparing to tell her would not be a happy story.

"I do not enjoy talking about this, so I ask you to please not interrupt".

Kimiko nodded again. Mesmerized by his dark tone, she felt the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

"You may have noticed, that I stopped showing up for the Wu. This is because at that time my mother died." he paused.

She watched him wondering if she should say something despite what she'd promised.

"I was very attached to my mother. So her sudden death came as a very hard blow. It was difficult for my father, but it completely shattered me".

Kimiko suddenly felt horribly guilty for all those times she'd called him a momma's boy.

"I locked myself in my room and refused to come out. I wouldn't eat or drink anything. Thinking back I can only imagine how it must have been for my father. His wife having just died and his only son showing every intention to follow her to an early grave. It was he who decided to leave. He handed the reigns of his business to a trustworthy friend, and left with me to our private reservation. There he brought more psychologists for me than I can remember."

"At first progress was slow, but bit by bit my depression went away, only to reveal more problems. It must've been like Christmas for those people. A genius with grave self-esteem issues, inferiority complex, no confidence, also a sociopath. _**Jack**_Pot for any psychologist, wouldn't you say?"

Kimiko felt numb listening to him. Back then she'd never considered this. Jack had been stupid, lame and pathetic, and that was about the depth she'd perceived. He continued, ignorant of the cold guilt his words were causing her.

"They discovered that I always gave up midway into a thing because I was afraid I would fail, and that sometimes I even did this subconsciously, sabotaging myself. I built robots because I was lonely. They said my world-conquering obsession stemmed from the desire to be acknowledged. My fascination for evil was caused by a desire to be noticed." He was silent a moment as if recalling something. "I had a better answer to this one. Can you guess what it was?"

His red eyes flickered to hers. Kimiko shook her head. "It's easier to be bad than to be good." He answered, a bitter smile on his lips. Kimiko watched and listened in morbid fascination "So after three years of constant therapy I was deemed cured. Normal. I don't know about that though. I think I just got better at hiding my faults."

His gaze turned distant. "I suppose you could say, that in a sense, my mother dying was a good thing for me. Or so I was told." Jack grimaced as he said this. His eyes slipped back to meet Kimiko's. "They could have saved so much time if they would have just asked Omi. He, for all his butchering of idioms, read me like a book."

A long sigh. "After that father suggested I get a job to put my mind to some good use. I went from job to job, desk jobs, field jobs, I never settled on anything. Until one day, Morgan Host –my very first client- asked me to recover an item for him, I was his assistant at the time. The item was an Egyptian artifact, an egg made entirely of gold, which was presumably a map to a pharaoh's long hidden treasure. I still don't know whether or not that was true, but the journey to retrieve that egg, brought back life into my listless form -even if I only had to fly over to get the egg from a contact person who was waiting at the airport. The idea itself, or perhaps the similarity it bore to questing for Wu was what captured me, and suddenly I knew what I wanted to do."

Jack's spirits seemed to rise slightly "You know, you people were the closest things I had to friends." Kimiko couldn't think of a suitable reply. "I cheated on my IQ test once." he said suddenly.

"What?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah." he grinned.

Kimiko smiled slightly "How much did you get?"

"110." He answered proudly.

"How much should you have gotten?"

Jack shrugged "Not sure, somewhere between 160 and 170 I think?"

Kimiko's eyebrows rose "Wow, then you really are a genius!" seeing his pout she amended. "Sorry, but you just…what with all the things and… I mean your belt had use instructions on its back." she said lamely.

Jack surprised her again by laughing. "You remember that? Well the nice shrinks explained this to me. It seems that because some parts of my brain are more developed, some other parts are less developed. It's all about the balance. That's why I'm a little lacking in the common sense department. Not to worry though, I've improved since my younger years; I know how to tie my own shoelaces without instructions now. And I only sometimes have to look to see how to buckle a belt." He seemed downright cheerful now.

He groaned suddenly. "Oh see what you made me do? I had the whole meeting mapped out, I spent half the night memorizing the speech I was going to give you. Instead you had me spilling out the high points of my life. Why did I ever bother?"

Kimiko stared at him, was that a slip? Or was that a joke? She smiled, whichever it was, it was very Jack.

"So." she began awkwardly, speaking for the first time in what seemed like hours. "This object you want me to help you recover, what is it?"

"Oh, you'll love this Kim." He paused for drama. She tapped her fingers impatiently on the table's surface.

"The salamander!" He declared.

"Huh?" Her reaction was not quite what he was going for.

888

So that's how Jack got cool, 3 years of professional help. And he's a relic-hunter now. It seemed a fairly obvious course of action for him, because halfway through the show I got the feeling Jack wasn't so much in the race for world domination, as he was simply enjoying the thrill of the hunt –never mind the future prison episode.

I was thinking, if you look at this fic from the side and squint, it's almost AU. But not quite. Weird to have Jack getting a job. But then, he'd have to fill his time with something. Oh yeah, and Wikipedia holds up my claim that Jack started to lose interest in world domination.

I'll get to explaining about the Wu later.

I'm sorry for the boring chapter, but it had to be covered.


	4. Chapter 3 I never said yes

Still more talk. Not so much action. Next chapter maybe.

Thanks to the nice people that review.

xsmokeandmirrorsx – lol no, Jack didn't really work there, he was just there to find Kimiko, and was basically just camping out at old Strong's place XD The stock rising is just good management ;D

Elena –Thank you, I'm happy you thought so

Halfhuman123 – Well, I want to finish it, but just in case, keep your fingers crossed :D

Oh and I did some JackKim sketches check 'em out on my deviantart site, the name I go by is silkyfuzz, or go to the link in my profile

I forgot to mention this last chapter, I talked to the XS producers and they refused to share their copyright with me- greedy bastards. So nope, still don't own anything. Lawyers, no need to get up.

888

Chapter 3 – I never said yes

Jack was a little put out at Kimiko's reaction to say the least.

"When you say salamander, you don't mean those little lizards that like to crawl in dark, humid places, right?" she asked.

"Yes Kimiko. That's exactly what I was referring to." He said with a straight face before scowling at her "Of course not! I meant the mythical animal!"

Kimiko was still not impressed, to his disappointment "Uh-huh, so you want me to join you on a wild goose chase, after a mythological beast. Read, that probably doesn't exist."

Jack lifted a disbelieving eyebrow in her direction "Oh really? Shall I remind you that dragons are mythological creatures? Yet Dojo most certainly exists. The Cyclops was mythical. The Shen Gong Wu were mythical. Heck, Wuya was mythical, bet you had no trouble believing she existed. Shall I go on?"

Kimiko sighed in defeat "All right" she sipped at her now cold tea, putting the cup back down, her nose scrunching up in distaste "Point taken. Still, it's a little far-fetched"

Jack sneered "What? It being a fire-breathing lizard?" he noticed her glare. Kimiko was not a good person to sneer at. "Anyway" he quickly went on " It's not the lizard itself, or rather, not the living one, which as you say may not even exist" Kimiko smiled smugly "and even if it did, my client isn't interested in it. So what I'm searching for is it's likeness made of gold and rubies" he finished.

She lifted her eyebrows in interest, encouraging him to continue "My buyer desires I find and retrieve this object, said to have been commissioned and kept by none other than King François the First". "Of France?" Kimiko inquired, surprised for no reason "Yeah. The one and the same"

She frowned shaking her head "But Jack if all you need to find is a statue, what do you need me for?"

He smiled winsomely "What? You mean apart from enjoying your charming personality?"

Kimiko returned his smile. It was chilling. Taking the hint, and shivering slightly, Jack sobered. He cleared his throat "Apart from it's obvious, monetary and historical values, the statue is rumored to posses magical properties, doubtlessly having to do with fire. And I'm pretty sure it's defense mechanisms work on the same principle".

"Why do you think it has defense mechanisms?" she asked.

"Experience" he stated.

Kimiko smirked "Afraid you'll get burned Jack?"

"Naturally" he answered, his voice sounding just the tiniest bit strange.

"So this is it. The rest of the details I'm not at liberty to disclose. My client wishes for confidentiality, you understand"

Kimiko considered the man sitting across from her, gazing mournfully at his stale coffee. There was no reason she should trust him. Even less of a reason she should actually help him. Their eyes met, red and blue, sizing each other up.

The problem, and the only reason she was even considering his offer, was the story Jack had confessed to her. Kimiko felt disgusted with herself. All these years, and she'd never once felt guilty for calling Jack names, or making fun of him. Now he tells her it was psychical affliction and suddenly it all comes back to haunt her. The fickleness of the human mind.

She shook her head "I'm sorry Jack, but I don't think I can trust you. Don't get me the wrong way, I'm grateful to you for telling me all that, and I appreciate how much it must have cost you; but too many things have happened between us in the past. Nothing can erase that" Kimiko watched the emotions chase each other over his face. Surprise flashed, followed by disappointment, turning at last to anger.

Angry people are never the wisest people, which is probably why he said the following "You say that. Discard me. Nothing new there for you I'm sure. Routine even. But I'd like to see you discard that curiosity of yours" Another tactical mistake. And as Kimiko's ire rose, Jack's anger cooled off. With his anger ebbing, rational thought made its way into his brain, and with rational thought came slight panic.

"I may be curious Spicer" she spat the name out "but I'm not stupid. I can curb my curiosity" she said, her tone low and dangerous.

"I know! I'm sorry, I didn't mean that" he hurried to correct his mistake. Was it him, or did the temperature in the room know a sudden rise? He tossed about desperately for something to say, to prove his trustworthiness. All things considered, it was not an easy thing to do,

Kimiko watched him, finding the spectacle somewhat amusing. Apparently, when he forgot himself, Jack's face became quite mobile. Taking pity on him at long last she said "Either way, because of our past encounters, I will have to ask for some time to consider, before I give you my answer"

Saying this she watched him expectantly. She wasn't disappointed. Jack's face formed itself in a mask of joy. He was instantly on his feet banging the table with his fists

"Yeah!" he cried victoriously. Kimiko also got up to leave, but Jack got to her first, grabbing her by the shoulders and beaming down at her "Kim, baby, you will not regret this!" she glared at the hand on her shoulder, Jack hastily recovered it "Sure. Just as long as you understand this is not a 'yes'"

"Yep. Got it. Duly noted. Besides, 'maybe' is the closest thing to 'yes' there is" Jack said grinning madly. That pretty much concluded this get together. Kimiko went on her way, leaving Jack happy as a flea and herself thoughtful.

Safely home again, Kimiko ran the previous hours over in her head. Jack's certainty of her agreement was a cause for annoyance, she almost felt like rejecting his proposal just so she could wipe that disgustingly smug smile of his face. What was it about Jack that brought out the worst in her? She wondered, annoyed now at her childishness.

Taking a deep breath she willed her forehead to smoothen. No point in ending up with wrinkles. Kimiko decided she'd go about this in an adult way, weighting her options and asking her friends for advice.

Jack could be lying about his story. So what parts of it did she believe? Kimiko believed the parts about his childhood. He wasn't that good an actor, and it explained allot of things about his behavior. It got tricky with the rest of the story. It made sense that he'd choose relic-hunting as a job, so that part wasn't hard to believe.

It all came down to the statue itself. Did it really exist? Why else would he contact her? Some belated revenge plan? Not likely. Long term grudges, weren't Jack's style. And presuming the statue did exist, Jack himself had admitted that it had magical properties. All the more reason to go with him and make sure he didn't use it for some crazy take over the world plan.

With all her reasoning, the balance tipped towards going with Jack. Grudgingly, she was forced to admit to herself that her decisions were possibly biased by her curiosity. She could curb it, but not kill it. It always reared it's ugly head sooner or later.

Because of this Kimiko was now lying on her stomach on the soft blue carpet of her room, chatting on her computer with Raimundo and Clay (Omi never got the hang of technology)

"Kimiko, I'm not really sure how wise this is" Clay told her in his accented voice. She watched him in the chat window, that barely contained his large frame, on the screen. He hadn't changed much either, still blond, still wearing a hat.

"Yeah!" picked up Raimundo, loudly "I mean it's Spicer we're talking about! What's he been up to anyways?" Kimiko was about to answer, had opened her mouth to do so, when she stopped suddenly. It didn't feel right talking about that. It was Jack's story to tell, and it was not her place to spread the tale.

She was grateful for Clay's interruption, saving her from having to give an answer "What do you think? What do your instincts tell you to do?"

She sighed "That's the problem Clay. I'm not sure if my instincts aren't being influenced by my wretched curiosity" she informed them miserably.

She heard Raimundo laugh "Oh yeah, you were always curious!"

"Like a cat" Clay added, laughing as well.

Kimiko fumed at the screen "Yeah. And look what happened to the cat" she snapped silencing the two males. "You seriously aren't helping guys" muttered apologies came from her speakers.

Kimiko explained her reasoning to the two.

"Well" said Clay after a thoughtful silence "They sound like pretty_ sound_ reasonings to me"

"I agree, besides, you can trust old Clay here, he's about as curious as a rock. No pun intended" said Raimundo

"Thanks Rai" said Clay stiffly.

"Didja ask Omi? What'd he think?"

Kimiko shook her head at Raimundo "You know how he is with computers" Raimundo and Clay mirrored each others reaction. Nod. Roll eyes. "Besides, nothing in all these years has managed to corrupt Omi's trust in people. So no" Kimiko concluded. The others agreed.

"Kimiko, I think you should go, if anything, just to keep an eye on Spicer. A snake'll change his skin, but underneath he's still a snake" said Clay

"What he said" Raimundo told her wisely.

That matter settled, as well as it would ever be, they went on to talk about their daily lives. How Raimundo had a new girlfriend "And is she ever a babe! Rawrr!" and Clay told them about how he had at last proposed to his two years girlfriend. This was received with cheering and congratulations and some teasing as well "About time you got 'round to it! Thought you two would end up old and limping down the isle, with nurses holding the bouquets, and a doctor carrying the rings" Raimundo had told him.

Having these talks with her friends made Kimiko feel a little nostalgic. Things were so much easier back then, when all four were together with Dojo and Master Fung, when life could be summed up in eight words: See Shen Gong Wu? Get Shen Gong Wu! Now they were all getting on with their lives. Sometimes she felt she was the only one lagging behind.

Hitting the power off switch on her computer, Kimiko wandered to her bed. She lifted her bag from the floor and deposited it in her lap. Digging through it she recovered the card Jack had given her. She smiled remembering his old card, with it's badly made illustration in the corner. "We've come a long way" she muttered quietly to herself.

Kimiko dropped the card on her night stand. Let the guy marinate for a while, she thought, as she buried herself under the covers, maybe his stupid smile would go away. Before sleep claimed her she made a note to herself to talk to Jack about the money involved, it seemed to have slipped his mind earlier that day. She smiled wryly in the dark.

That night with her mind at ease, and her curiosity certain to be satisfied, Kimiko slept soundly for the first time that week.

888

Watch Jack's attempts at being persuasive and be amazed.

I think he's more or less back to the old Jack Spicer. A little more grown up I hope. He was just showing off in the first chapters.

If you think Kimiko was a little hasty in making her decision, well yeah I think so too, but she's a hot head, that's what hot heads do, they barge into things. Besides she has an ace up her sleeve, which I will reveal in the next chapter, or the one after that.

I even got Clay and Raimundo into the story, I should bring Omi in too, I feel sorry for the little guy.


	5. Chapter 4 Taking steps

Chapter four is up. Chapter five is halfway done.

Like always, I want to thank my lovely reviewers, Badkidoh, Dominosowner and Elena

Halfhuman123 – thanks for the tip, I tried doing that, I hope it's easier to read now

Mmmm no, don't own the characters yet. I haven't made any progress in that direction.

888

* * *

Chapter 4 – Taking steps

* * *

After two weeks Kimiko called Jack, who by the sound of his voice was going a little frantic

"Spicer speaking. Make it quick" came his irritable voice.

"Good morning Jack" Kimiko said in a sing song voice, noting the less than cheerful disposition Jack was in and hoping to irk him further. There was a moment of silence on the other end as Jack figured who it was this voice belonged to.

"Kimiko? You certainly took your time in calling back. I mean I know I didn't specify a time limit or anything. But still" he complained.

"Sure Jack. Sure. So do you want to have my answer or not?" Kimiko inquired drily.

"I've been wanting it for two weeks baby. So shoot" Jack said, striving to keep his voice sounding casual.

Kimiko wondered if she should push for more drama and string Jack's nerves further along. At last she decided that she wasn't in the mood for it. "I want a separate bedroom, with a private bathroom, If travelling is involved, I do first class. Oh and there's the little matter of money that needs to be worked out" she waited, holding the phone at arm's length.

"Excellent!" Jack's voice boomed enthusiastically "Where do I pick you up? We've got paper work to go over" he said in a more sedate voice.

Kimiko smiled slightly. How very Jack. And Kimiko had thought she would rush things. Bringing the phone back to her ear "Meet me in twenty minutes at the West Shopping Mall, Cole Park entrance"

"Roger that." Came the cheerful reply.

She hung up, dropping the phone in her bag. She walked to the door. She paused a moment before letting it close. "Behave while I'm out" she told the room. The room agreed grudgingly.

Her ride arrived just on time and Kimiko was surprised to see Jack himself driving the slim dark car - she didn't recognize the brand. She had him figured as a chauffer guy. What gave her that impression she couldn't say.

Sliding into the passenger seat she took in the interior appreciatively. It was a very stylish car.

Jack noticed her look "You like it? It's custom made. By me." He boasted

Kimiko's eyebrows lifted "Really? Well I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Does this mean your still into building stuff?"

Jack smiled enigmatically "Yeah, building _stuff,_ I guess you could say that" the car's engine purred into life.

"So where to Jack? She asked not feeling particularly worried. She was confident that she'd encounter no difficulties in taking on the likes of Jack Spicer.

"Hmm?" he murmured, eyes intent on the road, he was driving at a speed that was doubtlessly over the legal limit. They appeared to be heading towards the exit to the city. "I thought you might want to meet my- our employer" his eyes flickered to hers and he smiled what Kimiko was starting to think of as his trademark crooked smile.

"And who might this mystery man be?" she asked not really expecting an answer. Jack seemed to take pleasure in his little games.

"Not much of a mystery." He answered promptly, surprising her "He certainly doesn't try to make himself one. You probably heard of him. Solomon Kersh. He owns-"

"Kersh Industries. Oh yes. I know him. He lent some of his collection of historical artifacts to the Art Museum for an exposition." Kimkiko cut in.

Jack nodded "He's an avid collector of valuable antiques. We're going to meet him at his private villa"

"Since getting there is likely to take some time, why don't you take this opportunity to fill me in on some of those classified details hmm?" she suggested sweetly.

Jack gave her a sidelong glance, he sighed "Sure, what particular detail would you be interested in finding out?"

Questions ran through her head. Finally she settled on one "Kersh. After he gets the statue, what does he plan on doing with it?" Kimiko asked watching her companion's face intently. She was surprised to hear him chuckle.

"Somehow Kim, I was sure you were going to ask that" he smiled fondly at her "What he'll do with it, is store it. It might not have been my business, but I checked before getting involved. No world-domination schemes on old Solomon's agenda"

Kimiko cocked her head to one side "Jack, you almost sound like you're against world conquest"

"Of course I am!" he laughed "As long as I'm not the one doing it. And don't give me that look. I don't intent to pick that one up again any time soon" he said without looking at her.

Kimiko sniffed haughtily "I never implied anything of the sort" Jack only smiled ahead "So how do you normally go about this?" Kimiko asked genuinely curious.

Jack hesitated before answering "Normally. Normally I get at least one confirmed lead. Like a document saying when the artifact was last spotted or something. This time it's all guesswork. Which reminds me" he pointed at the dashboard "In that compartment you have the contract I need you to go over and sign"

She reached in and pulled out a surprisingly not-thick folder. She scanned the pages, careful to read every clause, especially the ones in fine print. You can never be too careful when signing a contract. Especially with Jack Spicer.

"Because I'm forced to rely mostly on guesswork and intuition, with little to no facts, I can't tell you the exact duration of the contract, so if you sign it, we'll be hooked up as partners until we find the Salamander, or until the big boss get's tired of financing us- but don't count on that much, he's very patient" said Jack

"Are you trying to make me _not_ sign the contract?" Kimiko asked suspiciously.

Jack rolled his eyes "Baby, you are bordering on paranoid. I'm just warning you. I don't want to be accused of trickery later on"

Kimiko stared blankly at the papers in her lap. Was she being paranoid? Or was he trying to induce her in a false sense of confidence by appearing to be honest? _Was she being paranoid?! _'Better safe than sorry' she told herself, unconsciously trying to atone for her initial rashness in readily agreeing to join Jack, by being overly cautious now.

"Where do we start then?" she asked, her eyes still skimming over the contract. It was standard, troublesome legal what-not and she could find no mischievous looking loopholes either.

"Since it's King Francois I's property we're talking about, I figured the best place to start looking is France. In the North, Villers Cotterets to be precise. His castle" she heard him say. It sounded reasonable.

"But before we head there" he continued "I want to talk to a historian friend of mine who specializes in XV century architecture and traps. I'm interested in the last bit. I want to know exactly when and from where little poisonous darts will spring out on us when we step on that innocent looking cobblestone"

Kimiko was impressed. 'Jack has learnt caution and is thinking things through? How very odd!' As if reading her thoughts, he turned his head towards her "Luck favors the prepared" he said before turning his attention back to the road again.

Kimiko looked him over for the first time that day. He was wearing full (as she now referred to it) Jack-regalia minus the jet-pack. She shook her head in amused exasperation, he was dressed to impress. In some ways Jack was still so predictable.

A couple of hours later they came to a halt in front of an impressive mansion. Jack was out and holding the door open for her before she had even unbuckled her seatbelt. She lifted an eyebrow. He only shrugged and shut the door behind her.

If the exterior had been impressive, the interior was even more so. They were led by the household's butler into a tastefully decorated waiting room, and asked politely to wait until the master was ready to receive them. The room was paneled with dark oak; the comfortable furniture was made out of a lovely coffee colored leather and ebony. The room itself was rather dark, with curtains obscuring the windows almost entirely. This only enhanced the atmosphere it aimed to create. It had a very private, very exclusive feel, almost ostentatiously so. Here and there scattered about the room were black marble pedestals holding various vases and sculptures. The far wall was decorated by an enormous bookcase, filled with ancient looking books. It was all silent apart from the deep ticking of a tall grandfather clock, swinging it's pendulum.

After a few minutes of uncomfortable waiting -the gloom eventually got to all the guests made to wait in that room, it was it's main purpose- they were led down a series of corridors with similarly paneled walls, decorated with exquisite paintings. At last they stepped in front of a pair of large wooden doors. The doors parted to grant them entry in to Solomon Kersh's office.

He was a man to match his house. Kimiko examined him as he stood to greet them. A tall and imposing man in a dark suit; his face was emotionless and distant even as he smiled cordially and offered them seats. His eyes were two sparks of onyx in a timeless face, the only clue as to what his age might have been was the graying hair at his temples. His voice, when he spoke, was deep and cultured.

"Mr. Spicer I have been waiting for you to call in. Miss Tohomiko, I am delighted to make your acquaintance" he rumbled smoothly "Mr. Spicer has informed me of your recent partnership. I am sure I will not be disappointed."

"Of course" Kimiko answered smiling confidently

Turning back to Jack the man said "I trust you have shown Miss Tohomiko the contract?" he looked back to Kimiko "Tedious, but sadly necessary" he said apologetically. Or he meant to, people like him couldn't sound apologetic.

"Sure. We went over it on our way here. It's all covered" Jack said, producing the papers and offering them for examination.

Solomon did so briefly. Seeming satisfied he set the file down on his scrupulously clean desk. "Wonderful. Then you can get started right away. I'd prefer to have the object in my possession sooner rather than later"

Kimiko wasn't surprised at the abrupt dismissal; Solomon Kersh looked like a no-nonsense man. And really, she was actually a little relieved to be led out of the office, Jack trailing behind her, looked like he shared her feelings. Soon he was driving them back to the city.

"How long have you been in the city?" she asked him

"About a month. I didn't really come here for pleasure. You?"

"Three months, give or take. I guess you could say I was here for pleasure. But believe me, what I've been experiencing has not been pleasure" she said. Kimiko raised an eyebrow noticing the spirit-Wuya mirror ornament.

Jack chuckled "Funny. I've always imagined you were a party girl"

"Oh I am. But I prefer my parties with a little less 'snob' " she answered dully

He nodded in understanding "I know what you mean. I've only gone to one and I feel like I've had my fill. The host was pleasant enough though"

"Naturally. Host's can't afford to be snobs. They need to be likeable you see? And snobs don't like other snobs."

Jack grinned "I'll keep that in mind next time I host a party. You sound like you know your snobs"

Kimiko laughed "You don't strike me as one Jack. Don't read too much into this, but last time I had some fun thanks to you"

Jack barked a laugh, but his face looked a little pink "Must have been one heck of a crappy party then"

After a few minutes of companionable silence, Jack, darting a look in Kimiko's direction saw her staring at his Wuya figurine. "It reminds me of the good old days" he explained "when Wuya was just a recalcitrant foul-breathed ghost. I made it myself"

"it's a good likeness" she remarked reaching for it and cradling the small ornament in her palm. It gave Kimiko some comfort knowing that she wasn't the only one who missed those times. It also made her feel closer to Jack.

"Speaking of which, what did you ever do with the Wu?"he asked suddenly.

Kimiko gave him a cold stare, all the thoughts in his favor vanishing without a trace.

"Topic is off limits then?" Kimiko continued to stare "Right" he concluded wisely dropping the subject.

"I should clarify this. I don't trust you Jack. I'm tagging along just so I can keep an eye on you" she stated coldly.

"Never dreamt of anything different" he smiled a little sadly, mentally berating himself for a fool.

* * *

888

Nice one Jack, really smooth.

Lalalala hope you enjoyed this chapter, stay tuned for the next. Read and review guys!

Oh and I WANT A WUYA CHARM!!


	6. Chapter 5 Three's a crowd

Thank you reviewers you make me want to write this thing!

So thanks to: Badkidoh, Firecracker-girl, Dominosowner, Elena, Halfhuman123 and Daxo

Daxo: mmm Indiana Jones style clothes, I thought about that but… well you'll see when you read. I though this way was more Jack. Besides they don't have proper jungles in France. But I can tell you that old castle isn't the last place they'll be visiting. Those old French kings, they never make things easy. This one in particular had some really crafty friends. And I feel for you on the yaoi bit. I'm not much of a fan myself and the fandom is crawling with it, and not just this fandom either.

Don't own the characters. Do not sue. Do not bring lawyers.

888

* * *

Chapter 5 – Three's a crowd

* * *

Some days and a very informative trip to Jack's friend's later, Kimiko was all set and packed to meet her red headed partner.

She shivered recalling the experience. It turned out that Jack's friend was not only an expert on castle architecture and traps but was also very keen on torture devices and techniques as well. As luck would have it, he was also a very talkative guy. Who knew ginger root could be used like that. She shivered again. Kimiko caught sight of her reflection in one of the large windows of the airport. Two pairs of eyes looked back.

Jack arrived ten minutes late. Not because of traffic but because he was part of that select group of people, utterly unsuited for traveling. He could never decide what or what not to take and usually ended up dragging the whole wardrobe along.

He found Kimiko waiting, with her back turned to him. He took a moment to take her in. Something caught his eye. Around her neck was something that looked like a snakeskin collar, a thick one, more like a snakeskin scarf. It caught his eye because it wasn't something he'd expect his little dragon to be wearing. And speaking of dragons.

"Staring is considered rude you know" the snakeskin said twisting it's head to look at Jack.

"Dojo!" he exclaimed in shock.

"The one and only" replied the grinning dragon.

Kimiko turned her head, smiling brilliantly "You're late"

"At least you had company to keep you occupied" he answered frowning "It wasn't my understanding that you would be bringing a guest along" Jack bit out angrily.

"Don't get so worked up, Dojo's here to help. It never said anything about this in the contract. Besides, he doesn't even require payment" she said in conciliatory tones.

"Yes well I'm not surprised it didn't say anything about dragons in the contract. It's not something you'd normally conside,r is it?" Jack fumed

"I'm here you know. Right there, on your shoulder. And you!" Dojo pointed a talon in Kimiko's face "You never said I was going to work for free"

"Dojo, you don't want anything" Kimiko cried in exasperation, her shoulders slumping jostling the dragon "You practically volunteered"

"Steady, steady! Well sure, but still, it's the principle of i-mmmph" The dragon's complaints were muffled by Kimiko clamping her hand over his mouth.

She looked back to Jack "Relax, you have nothing to worry about" she said soothingly.

"Right a thirty foot fire-breathing lizard is nothing to worry about!" he said crossing his arms over his chest. One was gloved again, Kimiko noticed.

"What, Dojo? He couldn't hurt a fly!" said Kimiko dismissively winking at Jack

"I resent that!" came Dojo's insulted remark, spoken with some difficulty around Kimiko's hand

"That's true" Jack said feeling a little pacified, a grin tugging at a corner of his lips. He sighed in defeat "All right then, let's just get moving" he said leading the way, both ignored the still protesting dragon.

"So" Kimiko said smoothly falling in step with the much taller Jack "Were you checking me out just now Jack?" she asked innocently

Jack didn't answer, instead treating her to one of his crooked grins. Despite herself Kimiko felt a little flattered at his interest.

"No." he said suddenly. Kimiko blinked. "Well maybe just a little. I was trying to see if I got the measurements for your suit right."

She frowned, perplexed "What suit?"

"Your new battle gear. You didn't think I'd let you walk into those trap ridden dungeons without adequate gear" he smirked at her surprise. Now as long as she didn't ask about-

"You. You made me a suit?" she asked in disbelief. She stopped, another thought occurring "Wait- you tailor?"

'-never mind' Jack thought, feeling his ears redden "No-yes-no, yes, but it's not tailored. I just designed it" he stammered acutely embarrassed.

Dojo was laughing his serpent head off clinging tightly to Kimiko's shoulder or risking falling off. Kimiko grinned hugely "Jack, Jack. Aren't you the wonder-boy? You figure skate and you make clothes. What else can you do?" she laughed joining the dragon.

"Never mind" he snapped "I was just thinking it might be a little wide at the shoulders. Since I never took your exact measurements. Anyway, you don't have to wear it."

"I'm sorry Jack" she said trying not to laugh "I was just surprised that's all" she nudged the dragon, curling around her neck in spasmodic laughter.

Jack didn't answer only hurried on ahead feeling mortified.

The rest of the short walk was made in silence. They stopped in front of a small air ship.

"A private jet" Kimiko murmured appreciatively "Jack, how thoughtful"

"Only the best for you, Ohime-sama" he answered a bit stiffly, but rapidly getting over it.

"Meh, I've seen better" said Dojo, yawning

Jack glared at the little serpent "Pet's should go in the cargo hull" he said nastily

"Who you calling a pet! Why I could out-fly this steel piece of junk any time!" the dragon cried rearing up

And so it went.

Kimiko rolled her eyes skywards and prayed for strength.

One hour into the flight, and a few more bickering sessions between her two male companions, Jack surprised by suddenly addressing her "I hope you packed your kimono"

"What? Why?" Kimiko asked, feeling dread rising

Jack grinned wickedly "Because, and oh I know you'll love this, we're going to a party"

Kimiko couldn't suppress a groan "Not another one! I thought I was just getting away from those! I'm feeling betrayed already!" she moaned woefully

Jack laughed enjoying the upper hand for once.

"Speak for yourself" interrupted Dojo's voice from where he was getting comfortable in one of the seats –bickering takes a lot of energy- "I haven't had a decent one in years"

"That makes two of us, and I'm not placing my bets on this one" she said morosely

"Three" Jack's grin made a flash appearance "But we aren't going to enjoy the drinks and company, although I hear they have really good wine. It just so happens that the party is being held at our castle in Villers-Cotterets. And sorry Dojo, you tagging along might get too much attention" he finished with obvious satisfaction

Dojo who was about to answer with a biting remark, intercepted Kimiko's look, and settled for grumbling in discontent, before curling up to sleep.

"Thank heavens for ulterior motives" Kimiko said in relief "But how come they're holding a party there?"

"The castle is owned by an agricultural venture. Normally it's open for visiting as a tourist attraction, but all the good bits are cut out off the official tour. But every year the company hosts a party celebrating its founding. As luck would have it, and thanks to my excellent planning skills, and some strings pulled, we're right on time to join the ball. With invitations even!"

"That's lovely Jack, but why is this better than just taking the regular tour and simply sneaking off?" Kimiko asked still not keen on the whole party plan

"Because the company offers the gathered guests an exclusive tour of the more intimate parts of the castle. That way we don't risk getting caught trespassing. Or at least we'll know how, where and when to trespass without getting caught"

"Oh, you're pretty good at this" Kimiko said impressed

He shrugged "Being a bad guy has it's perks. You learn all the nasty little tricks. Now about your kimono?" he pursued

"Sorry to disappoint you, but no, it's safely locked away with the others never to see the light of day anytime soon. I have an evening gown though. I figured something like this might happen. You never escape that which you run from the most" she said feeling resigned

"Aw that's too bad. I rather fancied seeing you in one again. They really do suit you" Jack said looking genuinely disappointed.

Kimiko blinked at the sudden compliment "Tough luck, I like being able to use my legs"

Jack's eyebrows rose "Do you now?" he asked suggestively.

Kimiko laughed. 'Here I am, flirting shamelessly with the enemy while flying in his jet. Former enemy. Current partner… I have no work ethics' she thought not the least bit ashamed

One hour later both Dojo and Jack had dosed off. Kimiko grinned listening to Dojo's sleep ramblings. They involved a nail-clipper.

Clearly the dragon already missed Master Fung. Kimiko had missed the old Master as well, and so she had been only to happy to make the trip to China one week previously.

She had gone to get Dojo to join her in the treasure-hunt, but that had only been a pretext.

She met Rai and Clay several times in the last years, but she'd never got the chance to do so with Omi or Master Fung, who rarely travelled.

Omi had been thrilled to see her. He was a head taller than her now, so his welcome hug had not been as embarrassing as it used to be. He was still butchering idioms as cold heartedly as ever though. And Master Fung looked like he hadn't aged a day since she had last seen him. His blue eyes were just as kind and wise as she remembered.

The two days she had spent at the temple were filled with Omi's exuberant chattering. He told her of all his great many achievements and the amazing new moves he invented, proceeding then to demonstrate said moves. Following the "Swallow eating hotdog" example, all of his moves had cracked-up names, but Omi felt that each and every one was in some way fitting. She wisely decided not to say anything on the subject.

She returned to the city on dragonback, taking special precautions not to be noticed flying on a giant lizard.

Rousing from her reverie, Kimiko looked at the jet's only other occupant, he was sleeping sprawled in his seat, snoring softly. Getting up she dropped a blanket over each of the two. Reclining in her own seat she attempted to find sleep as well.

Kimiko awoke to find a hand gently shaking her shoulder. She looked up into a pair of red eyes

"Kimiko, wake up" Jack whispered "We're going to land soon"

She frowned groggily "Why are you whispering?"

Jack straightened up and said in his normal voice "Oh. I was being thoughtful" he sounded a little embarrassed

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Kimiko noticed that Jack himself had barely woken up. His hair was disheveled and his goggles were slightly askew on his forehead.

She stretched her arms above her head yawning. Blinking the last of the sleep out of her eyes she motioned for Jack to bend down. Though considerably surprised he complied, bringing his face level with hers.

Deftly she straightened his goggles pushing his hair back from his forehead and attempted to pat the wild red mane into some semblance of order.

"Um…thanks" he muttered obviously embarrassed. He hadn't gotten up and was starring at her with his eyes a little glazed over. She could feel his breath tickling her cheek.

"Hemhem" interrupted a voice in the form of Dojo, hanging over the back of Kimiko's seat. Jack hastily straightened up, running his hands through his hair, ruining Kimiko's hard work.

"You should buckle up" Jack said hurrying to follow his own advice, giving the action allot more attention than it required, even from Jack.

Kimiko was feeling a little breathless herself. "What the hell?" she thought absently clicking the seat belt shut. Dojo curled up around her neck.

"I'm telling you that boy is suffering from some belated hormonal development" the dragon informed her wisely. He failed to notice Kimiko was facing a similar dilemma but she wasn't about to mention it.

* * *

888

Ha! Bet you didn't think I'd throw Dojo in there. I feel kinda cruel. Mwahahahaha. Anyway I give you some JackKim action, it's very innocent and tentative though.

Got Omi in there too, sort of.

Jack knows how to make clothing. The notion struck me suddenly and I found it amusing so there you go. I think Jack's mom had a blast thinking up extra curricular activities for her son.

Read and review, that's always nice


	7. Chapter 6 Get the show on the road

Update!

Thank you reviewers you guys are awesome!

Thanks: Dominosowner, Elena, Badkidoh, Halfhuman123

Daxo: well, if those bread&cheese loving people had the right friends…the possibilities are endless. I will have so much fun with Jack's claustrophobia.

Firecracker-girl: Yeah, you know I hate that! Like when they suddenly realize that they've always loved each other -despite having always been enemies, or never having exchanged more than three words – and suddenly start sucking face? What is up with that? With couples like Jack and Kimiko you need to build up a relationship, it's not a given like with canon couples.

With Xiaolin Showdown I only ship Jack/Kim and Chase/Wuya. I pretty much hate Ashley so no go there. I'm not into yaoi. It's too bad that most JackKim stories involve a seriously emo Jack, him being emo for extended periods of time just kills the character. I like my Jack more fun.

I do not own Xiaolin Showdown. Too bad, I know.

888

* * *

Chapter 6 – Get the show on the roll

* * *

The sun was just setting when they landed in the huge Roissy Airport in Paris. Jack's car was waiting to take them to the hotel where he had got them reservations.

"It's in the village, we're practically next door to the castle" Jack had explained from his seat behind the wheel. He was driving again.

It was a forty five minute drive from Paris to Villers-Cotterets.

Kimiko sat in the passenger seat squinting, trying to penetrate the darkness outside the car windows. Dojo snored from where he slept curled up in her lap. Apart from his rumbling breaths the car was quiet, the atmosphere inside a little strained.

Jack seemed to feel it too, because he started fumbling with the car radio. French speaking voices flooded the silence. Kimiko listened to the rapidly changing channels, trying to make out what they were saying. She had studied French, but that felt like a lifetime ago. Finally Jack settled on a frequency, melancholy old music filled the silence. He lowered the volume. Kimiko wondered vaguely at his choice of music.

"Do you speak French?" Jack asked regarding her from the corner of his eye.

Kimiko shrugged "Used to. I really hope it's like riding a bike. I mean, I understand what people are telling me, I'm just not sure if they'll understand what I'm answering. I was never particularly fluent. I know you speak it though. I heard you asking for directions earlier at the airport"

It was his turn to shrug.

"Who gets Dojo?" she asked eyeing the little dragon. She lifted her face to encounter Jack's tortured look. "Alright I'll keep him in my room" she gave up.

He hummed distractedly, not bothering to keep time with the song. "So when should I look forward to this party of yours?" she asked feeling bored and wishing Jack would have picked some livelier music.

"The day after tomorrow. I thought we might like a little rest after our flight. I also wanted some time to set up camp" he answered. He noticed Kimiko's grin "What?"

"Sounds to me like you have a lot of unpacking to do. I've seen your luggage. What did you bring in there?" she asked amused "Did you pack a few Jack-bots?"

"No. I just had some trouble deciding what to bring with me" He answered avoiding her eyes.

"You can't seriously be saying that those are all clothes!" she laughed

"Not all of them" Jack answered sheepishly "Anyway, what I meant is that I wanted an extra day to look around, find adequate escape routes, in case something should go round" he explained

The mood their conversation struck reminded her of her old team mates. She decided to go on teasing Jack "Why so gloomy Jack? Is the music getting to you?" They were both silent, listening to the wailing voice singing bitterly about a runaway lover.

"It's the truth you know" he said reasonably "About the escape routes I mean" he amended hastily.

"I know. But you could make it sound less dreary. Like, you took an extra day to chill out, do a little sight-seeing. It's all in the wording"

Jack laughed "Then you'd think I was not taking it seriously enough. Face it Kim you just cannot be satisfied"

"Sure I can, I'm not completely unreasonable" she said a little defensively. It wasn't the first time people had remarked upon that particular trait of hers.

Jack gave her an "Oh really?"-look but decided not to pursue the matter further.

"You can accompany me of course, to –as you so quaintly put it- sight-see. Heck we'll even stop for souvenirs if you are so inclined."

Kimiko snorted "I was kidding Jack. I've been to France a hundred times. I've gotten "raving-tourist" out of my system. Besides, knowing you, we'd be exploring the sewer system for escape routes."

"No need. I already have those mapped out. I'm not really anticipating problems anyway" he sighed "It's true my excellent planning has brought us here a day early, so why don't we take the time to find a nice quiet little hill top to see where we stand"

Kimiko blinked "You want to find a hill…" she began her face blank with confusion.

"That came out strange. I meant we both can and can not do. An appraisal of our skills if you will"

"Say that in the first place. Yeah that's a pretty good idea"

It was a good idea too. The only one against it seemed to be the weather. The rain came down in a heavy curtain all day long, leaving the three to seek entertainment indoors.

"I doubt they have a practice room here" Jack said moodily staring out the window at the grey landscape. They were in Kimiko's room, for the sole reason that it had a better view.

"I hate rainy days, they make me drowsy" Dojo complained "You two wouldn't happen to have a deck of cards on your persons right?"

"Sorry Dojo, no. But I have these" Jack said producing a pile of papers from the bag he'd brought with him. He placed them on the bed. One paper fell to the floor.

Kimiko picked it up. It was a blueprint. "The castle?" she guessed

Jack nodded, sliding to the floor, his back resting against the bed "And the surrounding area. I wanted to actually check the accuracy of these. They're quite a bit old. But it can't be helped now" he slumped dramatically, looking woefully at the pouring rain.

Kimiko sat cross legged on the bed, leafing through the maps and blueprints. "So you think we'll actually encounter any of those traps your friend mentioned?" she said examining what looked like the underground system.

"I'd be surprised if we don't find something. Our old fried King Francois the First was not only a patron of the arts, but also a good friend to artists of the time. One particular such artist, you might have heard of: Leonardo da Vinci. Francois actually got him to spend the final part of his life in France" he said, leaning his head on the bed to look at her. He enjoyed the upside down look of surprise on Kimiko's face.

"Wow. You think da Vinci designed those traps? Should we even attempt going down there?" she said dubiously.

He smiled crookedly "What makes you so sure we'll be going down?"

She raised an eyebrow "Well aren't we going into the dungeons? Your friend said-"

"Did you know that the word 'dungeon' actually comes from the French 'donjon' which actually means tower?" he said twisting around so he wasn't looking at her upside down anymore.

"So we're actually going to look for the Salamander in the towers?" she asked surprised at the sudden change in the plan.

"No. I just wanted to clear that common misperception. Our best shot is the down-below" he smiled insolently.

Kimiko glared "Stop being a show-off" she said crumpling a paper and hurling it at Jack's head. It made impact with his forehead.

"Hey! Those are important!" he whined recovering the paper and flattening it out. He placed it back on the pile. "And don't throw stuff at me. It's rude" he said pouting.

"I was just helping you focus Jack" she said innocently unfurling to lie on her stomach across the bed. She gave him a feral sort of smile.

Jack pulled back, gulping audibly. Only a little intimidated, mostly just thrilled. He wondered what he should say to keep Kimiko in this playful mood. Dojo beat him to the punch.

"When can we get some food in here?" he asked stretching his reptilian body "I'm starving"

Kimiko rolled her eyes "You ate an hour ago" she exclaimed in exasperation. She had forgotten the dragon's old eating habits. They consisted of doing so almost continuously. She sighed "I'll guess I'll call room service again" Kimiko said getting up to reach for the phone.

Jack glared at the reptile "You know Dojo, you're lucky. This hotel allowed pets. Though in hindsight I think maybe I should've given choosing the hotel a little more thought. Kennels. There's a happy thought"

Dojo puffed a smug little cloud of smoke in Jack's direction.

"They'll be up in ten minutes" Kimiko said sitting back on the bed. She looked at Dojo with sudden new interest. "Say, Dojo, you're a mythical fire breathing lizard!" she remarked.

"Only now you notice?" Dojo said sarcastically

"What do you know of salamanders?" she asked ignoring the dragon's comment

"Little lizards, like the dark and wet? Or if you want the mythical ones, well those don't exist" he answered, his tail twitching feebly under Kimiko's hard stare.

"Told you" said Jack, still a bit miffed about the interruption.

"Why are you guys so sure? Both of you! There are tons of myths. There's bound to be some truth to them" Kimiko cried

"There is" said Jack

"People in Ye Olde days used to pick up lying logs to use for fire wood" said Dojo

"And it just so happens that salamanders, and here I mean the regular kind, use them for homes in the winter" said Jack

"So when the wood went into the fire, the salamander would wake up and 'miraculously' emerge from the flames " continued Dojo

"And that's your myth of the salamander in a nutshell" Jack concluded.

Kimiko stared then glowered at man and lizard. It figured that the two would only cooperate to prove her wrong.

"Fine" she acceded grudgingly. She was disappointed to hear such a simple explanation.

* * *

The day of the party was thankfully sunny, with no clouds in sight. The same went for Jack. He had been gone all day. Kimiko was a little annoyed that he'd left her behind. 'Partners my foot' she fumed.

It was these times she hated the most. The moments before some main event, that seem to stretch on forever and you need to think up ways to eat up time.

Dojo wasn't helping either. This was probably his way of revolting against being left out. He was dividing his time between sleeping, eating and trying to read a book written in French. It was the last bit that gave her the clue, the rest was just standard Dojo behavior.

Kimiko had spent the previous evening and the day's morning memorizing the most important bits of the maps Jack had given her. She ran over the quick escape routes in her head. All there.

She looked out the window. She could see the castle in the distance. She didn't like Jack's absence. It made her nervous. You could never be sure what he'd spring out on you. 'Faith' she counseled to herself 'Show some faith'

When she was honest to herself, Kimiko actually believed Jack had changed his ways –at least when he was around. She was trying not to let it show.

It was the unknown she didn't trust, not Jack Spicer.

It was easy settling on a dress to wear. She had only brought one with her. It was an inky blue number with a low dipping back, close fitting on top with the bottom flaring out. The bottom was sprinkled with sequins.

Kimiko had opted for a simple hairstyle, it hung in straight glossy black curtains around her face. She looked at the antique clock on her wall. It was about time they got going. She was all set to go too, but for one minor detail. Jack Spicer.

On queue there came a knock on her door "Hurry it up, Kim. I'll be waiting down front with the car" said Jack's voice. He sounded a little winded.

He was waiting for her, like he said he would, leaning against his black car. Kimiko's heart picked up its beat. It was after all only the second time she saw Jack dressed in something other than Jack-wear. And despite the suit being black, it carried a very different feel. The lack of goggles possibly added to this effect. His hair was swept back much the same as it had been on the night of their second meeting.

He spotted her then and straightened up. Kimiko tried to ignore his intense gaze as she picked her way carefully down the stairs.

Jack tilted his head to one side, regarding her thoughtfully. "You know, I thought you looked good in that kimono, but this is stunning"

Kimiko blushed, and couldn't believe she was doing so. What was he playing at, throwing compliments around like that?

"You don't look too bad yourself" she remarked willing the blood away from her face. Jack smiled pleasantly, holding the car door open for her, before getting in himself.

* * *

888

It's true about da Vinci, him and old Kingy were great buds. Don't think he designed traps for his dungeons though. But then, who knows?

The bigger question is: Where the heck had Jack been all day?!

If you liked, read and review, that always gets me in a happy mood.


	8. Chapter 7 You never know

HEY GUYS! Been a long time!

Sorry about the long, long wait. Exams happened. And then I was just so tired. But all is well now, and I should be updating more regularly.

Thank you, to all my wonderful reviewers. You guys made me feel so guilty for not updating!

Elena: I'm so sorry for this, but I had to get it in there (You'll know what I'm talking about :D)

Daxo: I wouldn't put it past Jack to take up a whole day getting ready for a party, but no, not this time :D There will be an antagonist. That's all I'm going to say.

Silly question, more updates if I'm happy!

Badkidoh: Thanks and sorry for the wait

Rara: Thanks for the reviews, they made me really happy. Sad though, just when you were praising me for not procrastinating sigh I'm glad you like my story(and my drawings ) and I do try to keep the dialogues realistic and the people in character. Sorry about punctuation and grammar, they slip sometimes, as I tend to rush posting the chapters when they're done.

Firecracker-girl: I'm glad you liked that, I try to make their bonding feel natural and not rushed. You've no idea how hard that is for me, I wish I could skip all the explanations and just get to the cute. But alas, one can't always have what one desires :D

Halhhuman123: I'm so glad you liked my adding Dojo in here. I thought he'd be great at being the proverbial stitch in Jack's side. Besides, Dojo is pure win.

Smallblucapricorn: there we go, prayers answered ;D

Disclaimer: Do not own, do not want to de sued. Don't. Please.

888

* * *

Chapter 7 – You never know

* * *

He held the door open for her so Kimiko carefully slipped inside the car. Jack followed and soon they were driving off. She watched the buildings zoom past. Jack was such a speed freak, never mind that it would only take them thirty minutes on foot to get there.

Suddenly she remembered the thing that had been bothering her all day.

"Where did you run off to Jack?" she asked conversationally of the man sitting next to her.

She could only see one side of his face. The visible eyebrow shot up.

He tilted his head towards her "What's this? Could you possibly have missed me?" he asked sounding hopeful and wriggling his eyebrows.

Kimiko snorted "Once again Jack, you're getting way ahead of yourself"

Jack straightened himself up and when he spoke, there was an edge to his voice "I see. You thought I bailed?"

Kimiko shrugged "The thought might have crossed my mind. You can't blame me, you 're practically famous for your changes of heart"

The redhead sighed "I suppose. Well you needn't have worried. I took a short drive into Paris. Had to run a few errands" he said vaguely.

Kimiko was about to ask about the "errands" and what they entitled, but Jack beat her to it and spoke first.

"I have a present for you!" he exclaimed suddenly, as if he'd only just remembered "It's under your seat"

Surprised Kimiko bent over to dig under her seat. She came back up holding a thin black box.

"Sorry, I didn't get the chance to wrap it up" Jack teased taking in her nonplussed expression.

"What's in it?"she asked eyeing the box skeptically and giving it an experimental shake.

"Answering that would just defeat the purpose of the present now wouldn't it? Go on, open it! I promise it won't bite" Jack told her patiently.

With some trepidation she opened the box and stared at its content "My new suit?" she hazarded, though there was little doubt as to what else it could be.

"Yep. Custom made just for you" Jack said proudly.

Kimiko picked up what turned out to be a jacket. It was black and blue, made out of a sort of reinforced leather. It had a look about it that spoke of speed and stealth and sneaking about through highly guarded facilities.

Underneath that she found a pair of pants made of the same smooth material. Her eyebrow lifted, they looked liked they fit on her like a second skin. She gave Jack a pointed look.

He blinked innocently "What?"

He'd finished parking the car and had spent the last few minutes watching her inspect his handiwork. It is possible that he might have hoped, just a little bit, for some praise. He grinned sheepishly at Kimiko's glare. So they were a little form fitting, it wasn't like she didn't have the legs for them. He was starting to feel a little peeved at her silence.

Kimiko noticed his pout and smiled slightly. He was such a baby. "It's nice Jack, I love the stitching on it" she said by way of praise.

His demeanor changed instantly. He was positively beaming "It's great isn't it? Hand stitched by my Jack-bots!" He stopped suddenly. He assumed a thoughtful air. "Wait… can I say that? Is it hand made if it's made by machines with hands? Or do they have to be human hands? I mean, you don't say man-hand-made, so any kind of hands should work, right?" he philosophized. "Sorry I got distracted, were you saying something just now?" Jack said feeling Kimiko's glare.

She narrowed her eyes at him and silently pointed at his window.

Jack turned to see a valet politely waiting to be noticed. Jack felt a little guilty for not noticing the man, it was cold out there "I think we should get going, _garçon_ here is getting impatient"

Kimiko rolled her eyes and exited the car. Oh but it was cold. Her hands instantly flew to her bare shoulders. She watched as Jack fiddled with something inside the car before finally coming out. He exchanged a few quick words with the, by now, frozen young man before handing him the car keys and a tip. He jogged over to her.

"It's freezing!" Jack said as if it were something fun and exciting.

Kimiko found she couldn't quite return his enthusiasm "Really?" she said between chattering teeth, rubbing at the goose bumps standing out on her exposed skin. She tried to walk faster, but the dress wouldn't allow it. She mentally cursed the parking lot for being so far away from the entrance.

"Here" Jack said shrugging off his jacket and placing it on her shoulders.

She grabbed it's sides to keep it from falling of her much narrower shoulders "Jack, it's only fifty feet away" she complained for the sake of complaining, though not giving up her hold on the jacket.

Jack laughed at her "You just love complaining don't you?" he was walking backwards ahead of her with his hands burried deep in his pockets.

"You ass" Kimiko muttered, shaking her head. The jacket was nice though. And she did get the satisfaction of seeing him trip and almost fall over a step. Jack managed a spectacular save, performing an amazing combination of twist-leap-jump and topping it off with an embarrassing pirouette.

He straightened up, trying to regain his dignity. He glared at Kimiko laughing at him. He inflated with embarrassment, his cheeks taking on a pink tint.

"Give me back my jacket!" he demanded, running both hands through his hair, only one step away from actually stomping his foot.

Grinning she tossed the garment in his face and walked gratefully into the warmth provided by the castle.

Inside she could see typical reception atmosphere. Jack flashed the invitations at the two large men guarding the entrance. A curt nod later they were admitted inside.

Kimiko had to slowly perform a turn in order to get a look at the whole room. It was humongous. The architecture was magnificent. Party decorations aside, the place was exquisite.

Jack commandeered two glasses of champagne from a passing tray. He presented one to Kimiko.

"Thank you" she said absently, accepting the glass.

Jack watched her with a smirk "Nice isn't it?" he asked before sipping on his drink.

Kimiko turned her eyes on him, and they were wide and sparkling with rapture. The general effect was such that Jack almost choked on his champagne. He decided to apply his mind to discovering more ways to make Kimiko adopt that look.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, then, seemingly gripping a hold of her excitement, much to Jack's disappointment, continued in a more sedate voice "Renaissance style is one of my favorites, and the decorations are absolutely amazing! Did you see those staircases? Do you know who designed this? "

"Gilles-Marie Oppenord" he answered promptly "See? And you were so reluctant to come." Jack teased cheerfully. He looked over at the gathered guests. His eyebrows lifted slightly.

That reminder seemed to squish Kimiko's good humor into oblivion "Good architecture can only make me enjoy this get-together for only so long Jack. Judging by the garish decorations, I'd say this will be just another stuck-up party" she answered, ever the skeptic, her nose twitching in distaste.

Jack treated her to his half-smirk "Have some faith Kim. I've a feeling things are going to get exciting tonight" he said radiating confidence.

Kimiko looked doubtful "Not with that DJ they won't"

Jack turned to look at the man. He was a plump middle aged man with a large curled mustache and impressive eyebrows locked in a permanent scowl. He looked like the type of guy who enjoyed reading music rather than hearing it played. He also looked like he enjoyed his wine.

"He may not look like much, but I bet gramps there can play a mean tune" he said sounding just a little dubious.

Kimiko rolled her eyes at the redhead. In mid roll she spotted a woman walking towards them. She gave Jack a sharp nudge.

"Ow! Oh" he spotted the woman as well. His face split into a dazzling smile. The woman beamed at him and spread her jewel encrusted arms in greeting.

"Monsieur Zpicer I am zo happy to zee you!" she spoke in very accented English.

"Madame Langfort!" Jack greeted warmly pressing the woman's hand to his lips.

The lady giggled girlishly. Kimiko had to strain not to lift an eyebrow at that. Madame Langfort looked to be around fifty. Suddenly she realized the woman in question was looking at her. Her face was completely obscured under a heavy layer of makeup, but it was very artfully painted - Madame Langfort might be well into her sixties, Kimiko realised. She smiled politely.

"Madame Langfort, this is miss Kimiko Tohomiko. Kimiko, Madame Langfort was the one who graciously provided us with our invitations" Jack quickly made the introductions.

The woman's girlish giggle accompanied his words "Oh don't be zilly, it waz no trouble at all, I am only too glad to have you join our little party" she said batting her eyelashes winsomely at Jack, whose smile was loosing it's intensity and taking on a glassy look.

The woman was clearly taking advantage of the fact that English second person pronoun was the same for both singular and plural. Despite being practically ignored, Kimiko found the small spectacle rather entertaining. She decided not to attempt any contribution to the exchange, as Madame Langfort seemed like she wouldn't welcome it. She watched Jack trying to make as delicate a getaway as he could.

"You will excuse us of course won't you?" he finished after crafting a long winded excuse, flashing his most charming smile yet.

Langfort who looked a little dazed was only too happy to excuse them. Kimiko imagined the woman would have been only too happy to take a swim in the punch bowl if Jack would have required it.

"That" Jack said, his voice tight and his smile stiff, as he lead Kimiko quickly away "Was sort of scary" he had one hand pressed to the small of her back, guiding her to one of the long tables in the farthest corner of the room.

"Oh, I don't know" Kimiko grinned, removing his hand "I thought she was delightful. I'm sure her intentions towards you are perfectly honorable" she laughed at his tortured expression "Quit being such a drama queen, we've barely spoken to her for five minutes"

Jack's face twisted into a different grimace, his face was very mobile she noticed. "Y-e-es. But seeing her now, and hearing that dreadful little giggle, brought back memories of my previous encounter with her" he said shivering slightly. He noticed Kimiko's blank expression "What? I had to get those invites somehow, didn't I?"

Kimiko's expression turned stunned. She had to blink a couple of times before finding her voice "What exactly did you do for those invites Jack?"she asked carefully. She was astonished to see Jack blush.

"I'd rather not talk about it" he muttered finding sudden interest in his shoes.

Kimiko's mouth fell open before she burst out laughing.

Jack snapped his head up looking around in mortification "Shut it!" he hissed angrily at the now breathless Kimiko.

"You were right Jack" Kimiko said at last, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes "This is more fun than I was expecting"

"Yeah? I'm so glad" Jack said sullenly, downing the last of his champagne.

Kimiko examined the refreshments table. Speared foods ranging from common to the… innovative, filled the large silver trays.

"Say Jack, about that tour. When do you think that's going to be?" she asked the still sulking man.

"They're French. Born Classics. They also enjoy theatrics. I'm guessing midnight" he answered darting a look at the giant grandfather clock that was decorating the far wall.

"Why would you want speared…?-wait-what? Midnight!" she exclaimed, when his words found their way through to her mildly appalled consciousness. Her eyes found the large clock "Oh bugger that, it's two hours away" she complained

Jack merely shrugged.

After some hesitation Kimiko picked up a speared…innovation, for novelty value. She was just working up the courage to take an experimental bite out of the thing when she lost her motility functions. She could only stare, thing on toothpick hovering inches away from her mouth.

"Jack?" she asked, it felt like she was producing sound without moving a single muscle.

Jack who had in fact noticed her reaction, and was getting a right kick out of it, pretended to be oblivious "Mm-yeah?" he said in his best distracted voice.

"Could you- Could you look over at that table for a moment. The one next to the window?" she heard herself asking. Her eyes were locked on a crimson haired woman standing with her back turned to them.

"Yeah?" Jack played along.

"Is that…? Do you see anything unusual?" she almost whispered.

Jack gasped theatrically "Is that woman wearing a living fox- oh, no, it's stuffed. Why is she wearing a stuffed fox around her neck? Wh-is that my kindergarten teacher?" he finished, frowning in concentration.

That string of aberrations dislodged some of Kimiko's shock-induced-paralysis. She tapped her foot irritably "No. To the left of her" she said impatiently.

Jack was the very picture of calm "What? You mean Chase and Wuya?" he struggled not to smile.

"It _**is**_ her! I can't believe- Chase?" she asked her head doing a quick back and forth between Jack and the table.

Kimiko had been so shocked to see Wuya there that she'd never noticed the man standing next to her. Possibly alerted by her stare the man in question turned to face her.

Kimiko executed a perfect one hundred and eighty degrees turn on the spot. Yep. That was Chase alright, dressed up in a suit, with his hair caught in a ponytail, but doubtlessly Chase Young.

She glared at Jack who looked distinctly unsurprised "You knew they would be here" she accused.

Jack shrugged "Yeah, pretty much. What'd you think I've been doing all day today?"

"And you didn't think this was worth mentioning?" she hissed angrily.

"You'd have found out soon enough" he said defensively "Besides, I really wanted to see your face when you did. Priceless." He added appreciatively.

"If it weren't for all these people here…" Kimiko grated clenching her fists suggestively.

Jack only smiled wider "That is called foresight on my part" he said smugly.

Their conversation was interrupted by the very two people they were discussing. Kimiko found it troubling that she hadn't heard them approaching.

"Jack. Imagine finding you here" drawled a woman's voice from behind them. Kimiko turned and found herself eye to eye with the Heylin witch. She noticed Wuya no longer wore the eye tattoos.

The woman's pointed eyebrows drew down into a thoughtful frown upon seeing Kimiko "And who's this?"

"Spicer. Dragon of Fire." Chase greeted them with a nod.

"Dragon?" Wuya exclaimed "Kimiko?" she looked genuinely surprised, her green eyes wide. "My" she said, her face smoothing into a wicked smile "I never expected you two to get together"

Kimiko almost snapped that they weren't, before thinking better of it. She looped her arm around Jack's and smiled thinly at the witch "Stranger things have happened"

Wuya lifted a thin eyebrow "Not by much"

Jack overcame the urge to squeak at Kimiko's unexpected touch and was now enjoying himself. He was only glad Kimiko was playing along with this.

"So, what have you two been doing these last few years?" Kimiko tried to keep her voice pleasant. She always found it difficult to keep her temper in check when dealing with current/former enemies.

"I can answer that" Jack interjected "Wuya here, is a lawyer now, quite prestigious too. And Chase has been dabbling into politics"

Chase raised an eyebrow at Jack's choice of words "Yes, quite" he drawled. He switched his attention to Kimiko who was biting the inside of her cheeks to keep her face serious.

His eyes looked more human, except for the unusually colored irises, and the narrow pupils. It was unnerving being exposed to the full intensity of those yellow orbs. Laughter died in her throat and Kimiko tried not to squirm. She gripped Jack's arm a little tighter.

"Has Omi improved his strength?" Chase asked of her.

The question didn't surprise her, Chase had always taken a special interest in Omi. He was under the belief that somehow the boy would bring about his downfall. It was one of the few points Kimiko liked to agree with him on.

"Yes, he has, he is possibly the strongest of us dragons" she answered truthfully.

Chase nodded, apparently satisfied with the answer.

"What brings you to France?" Jack asked Wuya, ignoring the pressure of Kimiko's nails biting into his arm.

"I have Chase to thank for that" Wuya answered, she took hold of his arm possessively. Chase only looked bored. "We were in France on a business trip, when apparently someone found out who Chase was and thought he'd make a splendid addition to _their_ business. And so, here we are"

"You're on holiday then?" Jack smirked.

"Evil does take a break then" Kimiko said in an undertone, just loud enough for the four of them to hear.

Chase might have smiled at that, the corners of his lips seemed to have lifted minutely "Evil never rests" he said quizzically.

It was the way he said it that made Kimiko feel a little bit worried.

Soon after, the evil couple walked away, loosing interest, leaving Kimiko to disentangle herself from Jack.

"Now wasn't that fun?" he asked smiling down at her.

Kimiko grinned, she couldn't help it "How crazy was that? A lawyer and a politician? And how small the world is!" she laughed "I was wondering what they were up to. I never expected anything quite like this".

Jack snorted rubbing his arm. The girl sure had a good grip. He couldn't complain though. "Yes, well the two have discovered the evils of bureaucracy and diplomacy. He's going to run for presidency in a few years, you know"

Kimiko stared up at him, her mouth forming a small "o" of surprise "Oh dear…" she breathed before laughing again "You know Jack, if you'd have told me this would happen six years ago, I'd have called you crazy"

Jack snorted "You called me crazy no matter what I said, six years ago"

"Touché!" she grinned

The orchestra was playing now, or she only just heard it now. It was a pleasant change from Monsieur DJ.

Kimiko frowned, a thought occurring to her "Will they be trouble?" she asked throwing a pointed look at Chase and Wuya.

"I hope not" Jack said seriously "To be honest, I have worried about this when I first found they were invited. It should be ok as long as we don't get caught searching for the Salamander. You know Chase and his flights of fancy"

Kimiko did know. It would be just like him to take a sudden random interest. Her eyes settled on the clock again.

"This is ridiculous. It's eleven o'clock. Do they really mean to make everybody wait till midnight?" she muttered in annoyance, glaring at the orchestra as if they were the ones at fault.

"Well, you know, technically we should be enjoying the party" he said tentatively, a hopeful idea forming in his head.

"That's hilarious Jack" she commented drily.

"I can think of a way to pass the time" he said trying to sound casual.

Kimiko gave him a questioning look "Oh really?" she asked cautiously, his tone of voice was highly suspicious.

"We could dance" he said, and he was suddenly proffering his hand and flashing a blinding smile.

Kimiko crossed her arms under her breasts, eyeing his hand like it was holding a dead rat. Or so it looked to him.

"Is that a 'no' I'm sensing?" he said trying not to sound disappointed. He dropped his hand back to his side.

Kimiko was actually running over an argument in her head. To dance, or not to dance. It was a bit one sided, as she couldn't find a solid argument against dancing with Jack. It could help alleviate any suspicions Wuya and Chase might have on their reason for being here. By dancing they could get a better view of the whole ballroom, without having to snoop. It would be something to do. Also she was a little curious.

"You dance?" she asked a little surprised. Though, she supposed, she shouldn't be, the man tailored after all.

Jack looked mildly affronted "I figure skate don't I?" he exclaimed "You really have one heck of a crappy opinion on me. As opposed to what you seem to believe, I am capable of doing allot of things"

Now that he mentioned it, Kimiko remembered that he did figure skate. Jack was right about her opinion of him. Or what it used to be, at any rate. He had been the lowest low on her list of people, but was rapidly making his way up. Prejudice was such a hard thing to beat though.

Deciding, Kimiko reached forward and lifted the hand he'd let drop "I'd like to dance" she said smiling.

This seemed to make Jack extremely pleased by this, there was a new spring in his step as he led her to the dance floor.

* * *

888

Read&Review, that's always nice

This has been a rather long chapter, would've been longer, but I decided to exercise moderation.

Next chapter I'm thinking there'll be some action.

Sorry if my descriptions of the castle aren't accurate, I can't find any proper info on it.


	9. Chapter 8 The French are Classics

Surprise! An update!

Enjoy.

To my reviewers:

Shadir: lol! Your comment made me laugh :D

Daxo: I'll try not to vanish like that again. Here, have some action!

Badkidoh: Update is here

Halfhuman123: Yeah, progress is slow, but they're getting there. More progress today in fact ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own, I don't claim to own, so just let Wuya enjoy her party, k?

888

* * *

Chapter 8 – The French are Classics

* * *

As it was, the orchestra was playing a waltz. Jack led her to the center of the floor where other couples were already dancing. Looking around Kimiko was glad to see Chase and Wuya were not among them. She didn't think her sanity could survive that.

Jack brought her attention back to him by gently taking and placing her left hand on his shoulder. He took hold of her right and began the dance.

This can be said about the waltz. It never gets old. Even Kimiko in her dislike of formal parties couldn't find anything to complain about. Especially when your partner knew what he was doing. And Jack danced it like a pro. They glided across the floor, their feet barely touching the polished surface.

Kimiko looked up into Jack's face. He was watching her with a peculiar expression. He was smiling, but not in his goofy way, or in his charming/dazzling way. It felt…warm somehow, and the look in his eyes made her feel a danger she'd never before associated with Jack Spicer. Kimiko became increasingly aware of his hand engulfing hers.

"So what's the plan?" she asked, hoping her voice didn't sound as breathless as she felt. Seeing his eyebrows shoot up, she added hurriedly "Exploring the castle I mean"

"Well, we'll wait for the official tour to start, and once we get anywhere near the vicinity of the basement we'll discretely peel off" he explained, his voice soft.

Kimiko tilted her head back, giving him a better view of her face "And then what? Not to worry you or anything, but I can't exactly move stealthily in this" she said, looking down at her dress "I can barely move at all"

Jack smiled wider "You move just fine" he murmured, pulling her a little closer, his voice sent a thrill down her spine. Then more seriously added "Why do you think I brought your suit with us?"

"Won't that be a little conspicuous? Peeling off from the group, rushing to the car, then running back in carrying a suspicious black box? Or with a complete dress-over?" she asked.

"It would" he agreed, nodding "But you see, I got allot of work done today. This includes giving garcon from the parking lot, and a pal of his, a generous amount of money, to smuggle a little package inside the castle, for me"

Kimiko stared in disbelief "And they agreed to this? Just like that? With all the bombing attempts, that have been happening lately?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders "He wasn't an overly imaginative thinker, that boy. As far as he's concerned, a box is a box"

"What if someone else found it?" she asked

He shook his head, making a few strands of hair fall over his eyes "Not likely. I had one of my new generation devices on it. A cloaking device to be precise"

Kimiko gawked at him "Jack, that's…I'm really impressed" again, she added privately. She noticed the worried look that crossed his face "What's wrong?"

Jack looked down with horror "It's just that…well a notion just occurred to me. I'm not sure how _**I**_'ll find it, what with it being practically invisible and all" he said nervously.

Kimiko's face dissolved in disbelief, then anger "What? Are you serious? And this didn't occur to you before?! Ugh! That is so like you… you…You're laughing! Why are you laughing?" she demanded

"I'm joking babe" he said chuckling "It has a tracker on it and everything" he gave her hand an apologetic squeeze.

"You're hateful" she gritted, glaring at him.

"And you are absolutely adorable, when you glare with murder in your eyes like that" he said, meaning to tease her. It might have come out a little more honest than he'd intended.

Kimiko however, brushed this off with a shake of her head and a roll of her eyes.

As the dance came to an end, Jack wondered whether he was more disappointed or relieved.

After a few more dances, which Kimiko refused to take part of, a gentleman in a sharp black suit commanded their attention "Ladies and Gentlemen, the moment you have all been waiting for has now arrived. We shall now be taking the tour of this great edifice, that once housed King Francois I" his voice boomed in French.

"Finally!" Kimiko exclaimed "About time"

"Down to the second" Jack muttered, eyes on the large clock. His words were drowned out as the clock struck midnight.

Taking advantage of the loud noise it made, he leaned in to whisper in Kimiko's ear "Kim, when we leave, I need you to pick up your suit. It's in a small backpack, you can sling it over your shoulders" he said urgently.

"I thought you said it was a box! And why me?" she hissed back.

"You can't very well carry a box that size around and hope it doesn't get noticed. With a backpack, I need only wrap an arm around your shoulders, and it will be completely obscured" Jack explained quickly.

"What? No! I don't-" she started angrily.

"It's in the shadow of that pillar. We'll pass right by it, pretend like you've dropped something and grope around for it" he said cutting off her protest.

She'd have liked to resume her protest, but the clock had fallen silent and they were forced to pull apart.

Kimiko seethed internally. Jack! That lech! What was the point anyway? Wasn't the thing supposed to be invisible? Still she complied, and as the guests were led out of the ballroom and down a passage, she pretended to loose a contact lens. Crouching next to the pillar she groped in the dark, until her hand closed on it.

Carefully concealing the bag behind her voluminous skit, she straightened up, pretending to replace her contact.

Looking down at her hand, she realized why Jack felt there was need for further concealment. It was not invisible. It looked like a magnifying lens shaped like a backpack. It copied the surrounding space, but distorted it slightly.

With care, she slipped it on. Jack, ever the attentive guy, wrapped a hand around her, pulling her close to him. Kimiko glared at him, but didn't protest. They filled out with the rest of the group.

"All should be well, as long as the evil duo keep their distance" Jack assured her in an undertone.

"Too bad about Madame Langfort" Kimiko sighed. She felt Jack stiffen in alarm.

"Oh no! Where- Madame Langfort!" his tortured look turned instantly into a welcoming smile.

"I do hope I am not… intruding" the woman said, giving a disapproving look to the way Jack's arm was draped over Kimiko's shoulders.

Kimiko realized that most of that disapproval was aimed at her. As if she'd volunteered for it.

"You? Never! Kimiko and I were just enjoying the tour" Jack smiled, glassily.

"it iz marvelous, iz it not? King Francois I was a true patron of the arts" she said clasping her bejeweled hands together. The action was accompanied by the clinking of two dozen bracelets.

She watched Jack with a speculative look, wondering whether she should take possession of his free hand. Jack possibly sensing this intent began shrinking in on himself.

Stifling a laugh, and taking pity on the poor man, also recognizing the merit of getting rid of the amorous old woman, Kimiko grabbed hold of Jack's free hand and exclaimed in excitement "Oh Jack, would you have a look at that? Isn't it amazing!" she turned large adoring eyes on him.

Startled, but ready to do anything that might rid him of Madame Langfort, he clasped at Kimiko's hand like a drowning man clutches a life preserver "Yes! " he agree fervently "That is an excellent example of a… of a stone structure. Expertly crafted." He concluded lamely.

Kimiko, forced a laugh "Oh you!" she said affectionately "Do be serious!"

Jack could only laugh weakly. He knew she wasn't being serious, but she needn't look like that convincing. He gulped.

This little show, despite it's little lapses, seemed to have the desired effect on the Madame. "If you will please excuse me, I need to join my huzband, he muzt be quite worried" she declared stiffly and walked away looking affronted.

After she'd gone, Kimiko dropped Jack's hand and blinked away the look of adoration from her face "Married is she?" she asked coyly.

Jack refused to rise to the bait.

Kimiko found she had to agree with the old woman on one account. The castle was truly marvelous. They had used authentic torches to light up the corridors; this created a wonderful archaic atmosphere. The thrill of it made goosebumps stand up on her skin.

* * *

"And if we were to walk through this archway, we would reach a flight of stairs that leads to the basements, or as it were, the dungeons" the guide chuckled.

Both Jack and Kimiko became very attentive all of a sudden.

"Unfortunately, to the disappointment of many of you gathered here tonight, we cannot pursue this path" he paused to hear the collective groan that never followed "Due to it being restricted on account of some structural instabilities" he added quickly, to fill the awkward silence. The man was pretty new to this, it would seem, or he had never worked with a crowd quite like this. Kimiko felt a little sorry for him.

"So let us be on our way. Now this passage…" the man went on, but Jack and Kimiko were no longer paying attention. They lagged behind as inconspicuously as possible, and disappeared into the dark archway.

"Well that was easy. Hand" Kimiko said shrugging her shoulders to dislodge Jack's arm.

"Sorry" he said, retrieving the offending limb "I see they didn't bother to light this place up" he remarked, running his hand over a wall "But look! A torch!" he exclaimed happily.

Kimiko rolled her eyes "For God's sake…take it! And let's go!" she snapped. The man clearly had the attention span of a four year old.

They slowly made their way through the dark, keeping to the wall to prevent any accidents, until they found the staircase that would take them to the basement. "We should get some light" Kimiko suggested.

"If you please?" Jack said thrusting the torch in her face.

Kimiko pushed his hand to a safe distance before igniting it "Happy?" her voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Very" Jack declared happily, ignoring her poisonous tone. Then, because her displeasure was beginning to express itself in the form of the torch's worryingly increasing flame, he fished out a small flashlight from his jacket "Here, you can have this"

It was only the knowledge that a flailing, screaming man, covered in flames, running about the castle, might attract attention, that prevented Jack's spontaneous combustion.

She took a couple of calming breaths before grabbing the flashlight. She gave Jack a rough shove towards the stairs "Hurry up before someone comes and sees us" she hissed.

"Jeesh, no need to get so brutal" Jack complained, making his way down the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Kimiko who had to take them at a more sedate pace fervently wished he would trip and land on his rear.

"Okay" she said reaching the landing "Now be a good boy and take your torch and turn around"

"Sure" Jack said, and torch in hand began exploring the other way.

Kimiko cast one more look over her shoulder before slipping out of the dress. It pooled down around her ankles. She gave it a mournful look. Judging by the clouds of dust rising, it was probably beyond salvation.

She donned both leather jacket and pants. As expected they fit perfectly. She flexed her arms and legs experimentally. It allowed comfortable movement, satisfied, she bundled the dress in the backpack, picked up the light and went to join Jack.

"There you are. Let me get a proper look at you" he said turning around. Reluctantly Kimiko spread out her arms for inspection "Oh yeah. I rule."

"And so modest too" Kimiko muttered in exasperation "Go on, stop ogling and make yourself useful" Kimiko said, waving him away.

Jack huffed "I have, take a look" he said gesturing with the torch.

"Where?" she said, scanning the wall he indicated.

"Right…here!" Jack said getting down to his haunches, to point at a brick.

Kimiko followed suit, squinting. Her eyes widened in surprise. There was something engraved on the brick, a stylized salamander with a crown above it's head, around it in a circle she could make out some writing.

"Is that Latin?" she asked, trying to make out the faded text.

"Nutrisco et Extinguo" Jack said, from the vicinity of her ear "It translates to 'I nourish and extinguish' it's Francis I's motto"

"Great, that's bound to be important. What does it do?" she asked turning to look at Jack as the expert in such matters.

"Er" he said expertly.

"Jack?" Kimiko pressed.

"Well, I'm guessing it's a trigger of some kind" he improvised. An idea occurred to him "I'll scan the walls for any indication of a secret room or passage"

Reaching inside his shirt pocket, he pulled out what looked like a small golden disk. He tossed it in the air like one would a coin. It spun in mid air before splitting into pieces, reassembling itself as it fell. It reached the floor looking like a small golden ball. Kimiko watched with interest as it revolved slowly, emitting little beeping noises.

When it stopped, Jack picked it up, cradling it in his palm. From a needle point sized opening, in what Kimiko assumed was its top, it projected a hologram in the air. The image didn't make much sense to Kimiko, but Jack seemed to understand.

"Excellent. There is an opening" he told her "That wall" he pointed at the wall containing the marked brick "Only problem now is how to get it to open up"

"Take your time" Kimiko said, mollified slightly. Whether Jack knew what to do , or not, he sure knew how to improvise.

He tried pushing, pulling, tapping, with no result. He felt around the rest of the wall for anything that would give. At last, he sat on the dusty cold floor and stared intently at it. "Burn and extinguish" he muttered to himself.

"Hello!" he cried, and in one fluid motion, that startled Kimiko, he stood up straight "Kim, baby, could you come here for a sec?" he said, without turning.

Cautiously she approached "Okay?"

He turned his head to smile at her "Flame that brick for me will you?" he gestured to it with his hand.

Kimiko did so. She frowned in concentration, focusing her energies into one point. The brick turned orange with the heat.

"Now stop" Jack commanded.

Once the fire stopped, the brick began to return to its original grey. The markings on it did not. They continued to glow bright orange in the gloom.

"And now Open Sesame" Jack said, grinning widely. With his foot he pushed the brick, it slipped in effortlessly.

Two seconds of silence followed, before the whole place began to vibrate. A horrible grating sound echoed off the walls, so loud the two had to cover their ears.

Dust and small pieces of stone and mortar rained down on them, covering their heads and shoulders in a fine sheet of grey. The wall was dragging itself away to reveal a narrow passage.

At last, the noise mercifully stopped.

"You think anyone noticed that?" Jack asked, brushing the dust out of his hair.

"What you mean the earth shaking, accompanied by a sound like a mountain caving in on itself, during a bombing, with a freeway car crash happening near by, caused by a rampaging T-rex, roaring it's head off? What do you think?" she shrieked as quietly as she could.

"Eheh… I wouldn't put it quite like that…er, we should hurry on then!" Jack said nervously.

"Yeah" Kimiko agreed, casting a look back the way they had arrived "Sliding walls" she muttered.

"Just like the old days" Jack agreed, regaining some of his cheer.

The tunnel turned out to be quite long and bendy, but thankfully it didn't fork out. They stopped as they encountered another archway, beyond it lay another tunnel.

"Something about this screams Caution-Death-Ahead to me, do you get that as well?" Jack asked casually.

Kimiko looked down the dark corridor, it wasn't very different from the one they had just traversed, but there was something extremely ominous about it "Yep" she said shortly "Use that robot of yours to scan for traps or whatever" she suggested.

Jack plucked out the little robot from his pocket "I would, but you see…it's run out of battery" he said, sounding embarrassed.

Kimiko stared at him in disbelief. It was amazing how this man could go from sheer brilliancy to utter idiocy in the span of five minutes. Every five minutes.

That look was all Jack needed to start thinking about a new course of action "Okay, maybe this could help" he said, and tossed the little spherical robot down the corridor.

They both held their breaths as the sphere rolled. It came to a stop midway down the length of the passage. They stared at it.

After a few seconds of staring, Jack cleared his throat "Should we follo-?" he never got to finish his sentence.

The cobble the robot had landed on, sank about an inch into the floor. Arrows flew out from both walls as well as from the floor and the ceiling, embedding themselves in every surface, including Jack's robot.

Silence followed. It was broken by little whimpering noises from Jack "My Scan-bot!" he cried aghast. He breathed deeply a few times, composing himself "French, huh? Classics" Jack said, his voice sounding a little to high pitched to be normal "Suggestions?"

"Care to lend a few more robots to the cause?" Kimiko asked tentatively.

Jack looked mortally wounded at her suggestion "That's like asking me to send my own children to their deaths!" he cried.

"Fine then" she snapped "You go then, take one for the team!"

"For a _**Fire**_ Dragon, you're awfully cold babe" He told her sadly.

Kimiko was about to give a biting retort, when she stopped suddenly. She realized, her flipping out, was not particularly helpful. Sure a rain of arrows is enough to make anyone a little edgy, but she should know better. "Sorry" she muttered instead.

"All is forgiven" Jack said magnanimously "I think we should search for pebbles" he said looking around. His face fell slightly "This place is in incredible shape. Damn it" he said running a hand over the annoyingly intact surface.

"We could track back, there were allot of fallen stones back in the dungeon" Kimiko suggested.

Jack shook his head "Not such a good idea. Allot of time and we might just run into someone" He started pacing then, back and forth, waving his hands in agitation.

"Oh bloody, bloody hell! Confound it all!" he cried at last, stopping in mid pace and tossing his arms out. Still cursing, he joined Kimiko standing next to the archway. From various pockets he produced several golden disks. He eyed them mournfully, before tossing them in the air.

Kimiko's jaw dropped open "You had more of them?" she said staring at the small golden robots "Why not just scan the place then and be done with?" she asked, frustrated with the man.

He shook his head sadly "Can't. These aren't Scan-bots. They're a Spy-bot, a Tracker-bot, two Nets, a Shield-bot and a GPS."

"Oh, alright then" and then, feeling sorry for Jack, she patted his hand "I'm sorry"

Jack nodded, sniffling slightly "So the first bot landed on that cobble. Notice anything unusual about it?" he pushed on bravely.

Kimiko looked at it hard "Nothing I can see, it looks like an ordinary cobble stone"

Jack nodded "That's good, because I can spot a few that have markings on them" that said, he rolled one of the toward a marked stone. He missed. A sound like a wounded elephant filled the air and part of the floor collapsed.

Jack winced "I'll bet you anything there's spikes at the bottom of that" he said weakly.

Another bot. It was the Spy one. Another miss. Some mechanism rumbled from inside the walls, and from two apparently innocent cracks in the wall, descended a pair of vicious looking axes, swinging from chains. Jack heaved a sigh of relief, until he noticed the axes were swinging lower and lower until "Ah. I was rather fond of that one"

Another toss. And this time it hit the mark. Jack let out a triumphant, if muted "Yes! Third time's the charm!"

They waited then. Nothing happened. They waited some more. Still nothing.

"I think it should be safe to step on the marked cobbles" Jack said. They waited again "Right"

Kimiko's eyes searched the floor for the nearest safe step. "Jack, I hope you're better at jumping than you are at aiming, because the first stone is a little far off" she cautioned.

"Eh. I wouldn't say no to the Monkey Staff right now, but I think I'll manage" he said with a shrug.

"Be careful, they're pretty narrow" Kimiko said before jumping. She landed safely. Not wasting time, her eyes scoured the floor for markings. There. She leapt. She repeated the process until she was halfway across.

Looking over her shoulder she saw Jack give her a nod before taking his first jump. He landed perfectly. Kimiko smiled with relief. She continued her own series of jumps, stopping again only twenty feet away from what she hoped was the exit to this death trap.

Jack, having successfully maneuvered the impromptu hole in the floor (which did in fact have spikes at the bottom) was now only three cobbles away from Kimiko. He paused as well. He ran the back of his hand over his forehead, wiping at the sweat "Huh…this isn't so hard"

From the moment he said it, Kimiko knew something was going to go wrong. Right on time, one robot, possibly dislodged by all the jumps, tumbled out of one of Jack's pockets.

Kimiko watched it roll through the air, on its way to greet an unmarked cobble. She followed its progress with rising dread, when Jack's hand swooped down and caught it, inches away from impact.

Kimiko released a breath she hadn't known she was holding. Jack gave her a thumbs up.

Except he'd bent over, and it wasn't one robot that touched the floor. A handful of spheres cascaded from the pocket of his jacket.

Jack and Kimiko were rooted to their respective spots as the little robots rolled around on the floor. A collective intake of air. The cobbles sank.

"Shit" Jack remarked.

* * *

888

Read&Review guys, Read&Review.

Is that a cliffhanger I see there? gasp

What great peril awaits our two heroes!? Sorry, you'll just have to wait for that.


	10. Chapter 9 Team

Hello and here's an update.

I wanna say a big thank you to my faithful reviewers: Elena, Badkidoh and Halfhuman123. I love you guys!

I borrowed something for this chapter, from Mr. Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code" – or was the thing da Vinci's in the first place? I like to think so, hence I borrowed it… aaaanyway…

Oh and there's a Willy Wonka quote in there.

Disclaimer: I don't own. Don't sue. It's what Wuya wants you to do.

888

* * *

Chapter 9 - Team

* * *

Somehow, Kimiko wasn't sure exactly how they managed it, but they made it. The floor was collapsing, arrows were buzzing through the air, the walls were trying to crush them, yet somehow they made it across.

They stood hunched over and panting, struggling for coherency.

"You stupid…idiot!" Kimiko gasped, trying to get air into her burning lungs.

Jack wheezed using a wall for support. He managed to speak on his second attempt "That-that's harsh babe"

"Harsh? You just wait till I catch my breath and I'll show you harsh" Kimiko said, still panting.

"Well we made it didn't we?" Jack said a little testily as he straightened up his long frame.

"No thanks to you" Kimiko said, glaring at him.

"I notice you venting one me. Don't you think I'm upset? Do you know how many robots I lost in there? How much time, effort and money wasted? It's all impaled, crushed and buried in there!" Jack snapped.

Kimiko was a little taken aback at his outburst. It was the first time she saw him get angry. She was glad for it. She wanted an argument.

"it's your own fault" she retorted, unwilling to back down.

Jack glared at her "You know babe, you really need to learn how to keep your mouth shut" he said, practically looming above her. His red eyes narrowed and shooting daggers.

Kimiko bristled at this. If he was trying to be intimidating, he'd picked the wrong target to intimidate " I think you should follow your own advice Spicer!"

"You vicious little thing! You've been snipping at me this whole evening. Why don't you just calm down!" Jack snapped.

"Calm? I've just been used for target practice because of you. I am as calm as possible under the circumstances. And you deserved every single thing I said to you!" Kimiko cried poking him in the chest with every word.

"So an accident happened. I on the other hand have been putting up with your constant complaining and moaning for days and you didn't once hear _**me**_ complain!" Jack said acidly.

"I do not constantly moan and complain!" Kimiko exclaimed, blushing angrily.

"Right, you need to breathe sometimes" he said sharply.

They stood there breathless, scowling at each other. Anger spent, they both waited for the other to speak. After five minutes of this staring contest, Kimiko, taking a big blow to her pride, decided to take the adult course of action.

"Look. This is stupid. I'm sorry for your robots, and I'll admit I was a little out of line" she said grudgingly.

It was just as well Kimiko decided to back off, Jack thought. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep an angry face when she looked so delightfully ferocious, it was very distracting.

"Good" he said, a touch smugly

Kimiko fumed in annoyance, of course he wouldn't be gracious about it "Do you think there are more traps around here?" she asked, stifling certain more violent urges.

"Hmm…well, we've had arrows, we've had spiked pits, slashing giant blades, squeezing walls" he said counting them off his fingers "I think we've got the lot" he said.

Jack paused, tilting his head slightly to one side "There is the dropping piano. But that might be a little modern" he finished frowning.

There was no trace of a smile as he said this. Kimiko felt her remaining anger dissipate, defeated by his whimsical nonsensical thought patterns.

She examined him by the light of the lantern. Jack was significantly more ragged then he had been at the start. His jacket was torn in places and his shirt was hanging out of his pants. There were dark smudges on his cheeks and nose, and his hair was as chaotic as she'd ever seen it. She found the sight strangely endearing. He did try so hard.

Kimiko's eyes were drawn to some suspicious looking rips in the sleeve of his right arm. An arrow end was still hanging from one.

"Jack!" she exclaimed startling the man "You were shot?"

He blinked in surprise at her, following her stare, his eyes dropped to his arm. He lifted it to eye level, and examined the rips with some curiosity. He pulled out the arrow end, and fished the tip out from inside the sleeve "No" he said sounding a little nervous "It must have pierced it while I ran. Thankfully my arm was speared, I mean spared!"

"Oh, that's good" Kimiko said with some relief "Lucky"

They were silent a few moments until Jack solemnly declared "No, definitely too modern. A dropping anvil though…"

Kimiko laughed at that, it was such a silly thing to say.

Jack gave her a surprised look, but smiled back all the same.

Kimiko walked over to him and reaching up brushed the dust off his shoulders "You really are something" she said, amused "I doubt piano's are going to drop from the ceiling though, justified as that thought may be. So I think we should get a move on" and because he had stooped slightly to give her better access to his shoulders, she flicked his nose.

"Hey!" He cried pulling back sharply and rubbing his smarting nose.

Kimiko smiled and tossed her hair. The equipment Jack had provided, she noted, was proving to be quite durable. Her one inconvenience, were the six inch heels, currently murdering her feet. They were pretty, and looked good on her feet, but they simply were not made for this sort of action. It was amazing they were still intact.

For the first time since their tumultuous arrival, Kimiko began to look around the room. It was very large, cavernous. It was big enough to make Kimiko wonder how No one had ever discovered it's existence.

"Damn it!" came Jack's sudden exclamation.

Kimiko turned around in alarm "What is it?" she asked tensely, looking at the ceiling for any sign of dropping pianos.

"I dropped my torch in the tunnel!" Jack whined pathetically.

Kimiko rolled her eyes "Yes, I know. That's what triggered the walls to close in on us and to basically lock us in here" she informed him drily.

"Oh. Really?" he asked sheepishly "I never noticed in all the commotion"

"Yes, really" a warning in her voice.

"Well, no sense in dwelling in the past" he said hurriedly and pulled another little flashlight from an inner pocket.

Kimiko wondered how many things he had stored in those pockets. How many pockets did he have anyway?

Turning it on, Jack went to examine the walls. After a moment he called for Kimiko to join him "Follow the markings" he explained.

They did so. The marked bricks formed a line stretching across the wall. It led them to a platform. In the center of it was an ornate pedestal, holding a large, plain, stone cube. On each of its faces was carved the mark of the salamander.

"Kimiko, if you'll do the honors?" Jack said, falling back a step.

She focused, the cube stone began to turn red, then it started to shake. Jack grabbed and pulled her down before it shattered, sending rock fragments flying across the room.

Choking a little on the dust, the two tried to see what the stone box had contained. Inside a narrow, but thick walled compartment, was a cylindrical shaped object. Jack pulled it out carefully, and bathed it in light.

It was a cylinder, about three inches long, half of it was covered in a wider, metallic looking, cylinder with an intricate maze like design on it.

Kimiko frowned "That doesn't look much like what I imagined the Salamander would look like" she said.

"That's because it isn't the Salamander" Jack said, sounding excited, and turning the object over in his hand "It's a cryptex!" he declared.

"Why are you so happy?" Kimiko demanded.

"This is what a treasure hunt is all about! Inside this marvelous little contraption, is a clue that will lead us to the Salamander" Jack said excitedly, reverently examining the cryptex.

Kimiko gaped at him "You mean it's not here? We went through all that for nothing?" she asked in disbelief. The pain in her feet, was beginning to get to her.

"This is not 'nothing'" He said, like she'd just uttered blasphemy.

"Right. Well then Jack, since you're so happy with your little trinket, how do we get out of here? Not to pressure or anything, but the corridor just closed on us" Kimiko said.

" The back door of course" he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"There is a back door?"

"Naturally"

"Why do you not feel the need to tell me these things Jack?" she asked pinching the bridge of her nose, between thumb and forefinger.

"I thought it was obvious" he said defensively.

"Just…just lead on, before I lose the rest of my patience" she said tiredly.

"And there's not much of that to begin with" he said, possibly unwisely.

Kimiko lifted an eyebrow.

"Right. I'm going" Jack said hastily.

* * *

"See it's easy, just another salamander stone" he said tapping it.

"Jack there's dozens of these stones in this room. How do you know it's the right one?" she said.

"Because this one has the motto written on it" he said patiently.

"Ok, but how do you know this is the back door?" she asked examining the brick.

"Er…Lucky guess?" Jack said a little flustered.

"Oh Jack" Kimiko groaned.

"Look it's okay, just heat the thing up"

Kimiko did so. The horrible grinding and rumbling filled the place, the sound only magnified by the echoing chamber. The wall slid back to reveal another narrow passage.

"They weren't too creative with this" Kimiko said "I mean, it's just the salamander thing, over and over"

"Yes, well I'm sure they didn't want to risk forgetting any vital trick, if they were ever in a hurry to get down here. They wouldn't want to make it too difficult for themselves" Jack said, shrugging.

"Makes sense I guess. You don't suppose that" she said indicating the opening "is booby trapped, do you?"

"No, no. Nobody booby traps the back door" Jack said firmly.

Kimiko gave him a flat stare "Why didn't we come down this way then?" she asked, keeping her voice steady.

"Well, that's because this door can only be opened from inside. Also I have no idea where this leads to" he declared, sounding quite unconcerned.

"That's comforting" she sighed, and walked into the dark unknown.

It remained a stone corridor for only about twenty feet. It then turned into a rocky, muddy slope, they had to climb.

"Tell me Jack, how did they open these things in the days of old? That is, assuming there weren't all that many Fire Dragons around." She said over her shoulder, as she climbed. She was using what seemed to be roots to pull herself up.

"I imagine a torch would have worked well enough. If a little slower" Jack said.

"So you brought me along for expediency's sake" Kimiko said, grabbing at another root.

Jack laughed, behind her. Then "Did I ever mention I was claustrophobic?"

* * *

After what felt like hours of climbing and crawling, Kimiko was willing to bet her hands and feet were worn raw. She was happy beyond measure to feel fresh air on her skin. Kimiko crawled to the surface and breathed in deeply. The sky was partially obscured by thick branches and foliage, but from what she could see it was near dawn.

"Forest, huh? Well, I guess it'd be pretty hard to find the tunnel here" Jack said, coming up behind her. He sounded immensely relieved. Tight places really didn't agree with him. And that tunnel had been pretty tight.

"There should be a road here somewhere" he said and walked off, in pursuit of it. He stumbled over some roots.

Wincing, Kimiko followed, careful to avoid the roots.

It turned out there really was a road.

"And there is the castle" Jack said, pointing at the shadowy building. It was quite far, Kimiko noted.

"And this is where we're going" he said, tuning to walk in the opposite direction, along the road. He, vainly brushed at his tattered clothes as he went.

Kimiko hobbled after him, rolling her eyes.

"This just occurred to me Jack. The car. It's still in the parking lot. Won't people wonder about that?" she asked.

"Ah, but you see my dear, I requested complete services from the boys. This includes driving the car to a specified location" he explained, sounding extremely please with himself.

"That's very trusting of you Jack" Kimiko said

"Not to worry, I've taken precautions. Driving off with the car is the last thing on their minds" he said deviously.

Kimiko could imagine the evil smile curling his lips right now. Poor kids.

He stopped so suddenly, had Kimiko not been a ways behind, she'd have walked right into Jack's back. He turned to look at her.

"Are you hobbling?" he blurted out, disbelieving.

Kimiko glared at him "No. I'm swaying my hips in a fetching matter, in hope that I might attract a passing driver. Yes I'm hobbling!" she snapped noticing Jack's expression.

"Why? Are you injured?" He asked in genuine concern.

"No. Well, if you call what my shoes did to my feet injuries" she shrugged.

"Your shoes?" Jack intoned, his eyes falling to her feet. He gave a low whistle "Ah" he said, eyebrows lifting in understanding "Sexy. But I take it, not the best choice in the circumstances"

"It was a formal party, and I'm short, six inch heels are practically mandatory. Running, jumping and climbing in these, was possibly not the best idea" she admitted, a little annoyed with herself, for sounding so apologetic.

Jack turned his back to her, and crouched forward slightly "C'mon, hop on" he told her.

Kimiko stared at his back "I don't think so" she declined shortly, and started walking again.

Jack rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand as she went by him. "You're in pain. You can barely walk. You're getting more waspish with every step you take. For both our sakes, just let me give you a piggy back" he reasoned.

Kimiko sighed, pulling back her hand "Really, Jack, your bravado won't impress anyone. You're dragging yourself along as it is" she said, but it wasn't exactly true. It did impress her. She almost regretted not letting him hold her hand a little longer.

"Not to offend, but you're not all that big, babe. Now come on" Jack said, offering her his back again.

Feeling humiliated, but deciding it was the quickest, most expedient, not to mention less painful, way, she removed the offending shoes and climbed carefully on his back.

Jack hoisted her up, his hands holding her thighs pinned firmly to his sides.

"Watch the hands" she warned.

"Sure thing babe" he said giving them a quick squeeze. This earned him a smack across the head. It wasn't much in the way of chastising. Jack smirked.

Crisis averted, Kimiko tried to settle comfortably. It wasn't hard, Jack's back, though not particularly broad, was large enough to accommodate her. She rested her cheek on his shoulder. A happy little sighed escaped her lips, it felt so good to have her feet off the ground.

The gust of air from her lips tickled Jack's ears and sent a chill down his spine.

"We were pretty cool tonight" Jack said, clearing his voice.

"Cool, huh?" Kimiko smirked.

"Yeah. We made a pretty good team" he said happily.

Kimiko laughed softly, enjoying the vibrations of his voice, and the warmth his body gave off "Yeah, especially when you tripped in the middle of a rain of arrows, and I had to run back and drag you out of harm's way. While wearing six inch heels"

"Yeah. That's exactly what I'm talking about. Watching each others back" he said quickly, not enjoying the reminder "Lending them, when required" he added, giving her a little jostle.

"Yes. I do suppose you owe me this" she agreed, stifling a yawn.

"For what it's worth, I thought you were brilliant back there Kim" he told her, his voice curiously soft.

"You weren't too bad yourself" she answered, glad he couldn't see her blush. "To tell you the truth Jack, I doubted you were telling the truth when you said you were a treasure hunter. I mean it sounds so whimsical, and far-fetched. But if I learned anything from this ordeal, is that _**that**_, and I mean this in a good way, is exactly what you are. And your experience in the field does show. "

Jack laughed weakly "You should never, never doubt what nobody is sure about" he quoted, earning a little laugh from Kimiko.

"Where did you put the cryptex, by the way?" she asked.

"Safely stored in my pocket" he answered promptly, giving it a little pat.

"Yes, because we both know how safe that is" she said archly.

"Would you please let that drop?" Jack cried.

Kimiko grinned "I'm only teasing"

"Yeah, yeah" he huffed.

Kimiko realized she must have fallen asleep, because she was suddenly in front of her hotel room.

"Kimiko?" Jack whispered again, bouncing a little, in an effort to wake her.

"Yes. You can put me down now" she whispered back.

"I'd wish you good night, but…" he looked out a nearby window. It was dawn "Get some rest" he said instead.

"You too" she said.

He nodded and went to open the door of his own room.

" Jack?" she called.

He stopped, with the key in the lock, and turned to look at her.

"Thank you" she told him seriously.

Jack grinned crookedly "Any time babe" and as a second thought "I need to make you some matching boots"

* * *

888

Lalalalalalala Read&Review!

Next chapter: What mysteries doth the crytex hold?


	11. Chapter 10 Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Heya, whazzup?

Update time.

Sorry updating is so irregular and rare. I'm busy with real life, sadly.

Anyway, I wanna say a big thank you to my faithful reviewers: Shadir, Daxo, Badkidoh and Halfhuman123.

Also I want to thank the nice people who add my story to their story alert, thanks guys!

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership whatsoever of anything in this story, except maybe some plot, do not sue.

Note: One of my all time favorite story makes a cameo in this chap. I wonder if anybody else likes it?

888

* * *

Chapter 10 – Breakfast, lunch and dinner

* * *

Kimiko closed the door behind her. The room was dark, as its windows faced west. It took her a moment to adjust her eyes to the gloom, the hallway had been lit. A sudden voice erupting next to her ear caused her to jump.

"And where have you been?" it sounded furious.

Her face snapped around to the source of the voice. Dojo occupied the back of one of the armchairs framing the door. He sat up as tall as he could, while still in his miniature form, his arms crossed over his narrow elongated chest. His tail twitched in an irritated fashion.

Kimiko rolled her eyes, she'd forgotten Dojo was there.

"Have you any idea what time it is?" Dojo demanded, sounding every bit like an exasperated overprotective mother.

If she weren't so tired, and her feet weren't so sore, Kimiko might have been amused with the dragon's antics.

"I was out partying wildly. Drinking too. Not that it really concerns you Dojo" she stated testily.

"Master Fung expressly told me to keep an eye on you, so it does concern me" he stopped and looked more closely at Kimiko " There's something different about you… hey! Weren't you wearing a dress?" he exclaimed.

"Like I said, wild party" she muttered, dropping on the bed. She closed her eyes.

Dojo hopped of the armchair and made his way to the bed. A minute dip in the mattress alerted her to the dragon's whereabouts.

She cracked open her eyes. Dojo hovered above her, his snout inches from her face, an expectant look on his reptilian face. Kimiko sighed and began relating the lengthy story. Why couldn't Dojo read the mood and wait till she'd gotten some sleep.

"So you just left your dress lying there?" Dojo asked after she'd finished speaking.

"Of course not" she snapped "it's in the pack"

"So you just left the pack there?" Dojo would not let the thing drop. He always picked the worst times to get stubborn.

"No" she sighed, closing her eyes and willing the pestering lizard away "The pack is on my back, currently squished under me" She opened her eyes, Dojo was still there. No psychic powers then.

Dojo gave her a dubious look "Not that I can see" he said.

Heaving another long suffering sigh, Kimiko lifted herself to a sitting position, performing a curious set of motions with her arms, or so it seemed to Dojo. She then held a fist up for inspection.

"N-ooot getting it" Dojo said lifting an eyebrow "Maybe you _**should **_get some sleep" he conceded.

"Ha, ha. Take a better look, and then maybe I can do just that" she gave her hand a shake.

He did see it then "That's… a very unusual color"

"It's not a color, it's one of Jack's inventions" she said, running her fingers over the strange magnifying surface, until they encountered a small metallic bump. Frowning in concentration she tried to pick it off. After some fidgeting, something gave a tiny click and the device came free. She cradled it in the palm of her hand.

The bag became instantly visible. The design on it was reminiscent of Jack's original jet-pack. She gave that to Dojo, being more interested in the little device.

As she examined it, she became aware that the room was no longer dark. This annoyed her.

Kimiko put the little robot on the bed table, perhaps a little roughly. She must have triggered something, because it gave a little beep and retracted to a very familiar looking golden disk.

Intrigued, despite herself, Kimiko picked it up again. It looked almost completely smooth. Upon closer inspection, however, she discovered a tiny microchip like pattern as well as small concentric rifts marking its surface. Suddenly fearful of misplacing the little disk she tucked it in one of the jacket's pockets.

Meanwhile Dojo had opened the bag and was staring aghast at the dress "You ruined it. Completely" he told her.

"I'll dry clean it and hope for the best. It's a shame, I liked that dress" Kimiko said, yawning hugely. She thought about taking a shower, but was simply too tired to attempt it. "Dojo, be a dear and turn around, I need to get changed" she added rummaging through a drawer for her pajamas.

The dragon complied, still grumbling over the dress.

* * *

It was midday when Kimiko woke up to a knock on the door. It started like one at least, then steadily progressed to a full blow staccato rhythm. Dojo snored unhelpfully from the foot of the bed.

She forced herself out of bed, swaying slightly, determined to break the offenders arm and use it to beat a staccato through his skull, only more literally.

Kimiko wrenched the door open. On the other side, Jack froze, fist in air, poised to knock. He unfurled the fist and gave her a little wave.

"I guess I'm disturbing, huh?" he asked nervously, if unnecessarily.

Kimiko wrestled for a moment with her initial desire to pummel him, and sensible thinking. The pounding headache, didn't improve Jack's chances. Luckily for him, the later won out.

"What is it Jack?" she asked, her voice rough with sleep.

"We-el, I thought we could get to work on this" he said, producing the cryptex, an unreasonably jovial expression on his face.

"Ew. You're a morning person" Kimiko said in disgust, making a face.

Jack looked thoughtful "I am, but in all fairness, it's midday" he said reasonably.

Kimiko's shoulders sagged in resignation, and she walked back into the room.

Jack hesitated a moment before deeming it safe to follow "I did make sure we got seven hours of sleep" he assured her.

Kimiko gave him a baleful look over her shoulder "You may have gotten seven hours, I had a talkative dragon to attend to" she said, switching her glare to the oblivious Dojo.

"Er, we don't have to do this right now" Jack said hesitantly as Kimiko proceeded to tidy the bed in a rather violent unstable way.

"I can hardly go to sleep now, can I?" she said this quietly, so she wouldn't wake the slumbering dragon. This was not out of respect for an old saying, or for the dragon in question, from the kindness of her hear. She simply did not need another yapping mouth.

"Love the PJs" Jack said over the sound of pillow fluffing. Kimiko ignored this.

Jack flopped in one of the chairs next to the window "Nice weather today" he said vaguely.

Kimiko sat on the bed, crossing her arms "The weather, Jack? That's very un-original of you. I'm disappointed" she commented drily. Her headache was beginning to fade and as a consequence her mood was improving.

Jack picked up on that. Sprawling in his chair, he offered a lazy cat-smile "I figured I'd try and play it safe. A politically correct topic. The way you were punching those pillows… It didn't much encourage originality" he had to duck as one of the afore mentioned pillows was thrown at his head.

"Low blood pressure" Kimiko said shrugging "I hate waking up"

"I'm not surprised to hear that. Grouchy sounds like you" he told her cheerfully.

Kimiko lifted an eyebrow "I thought you were keeping it safe" she said warningly, but for some reason felt like smiling.

"Right. Should I call for coffee?" Jack said diplomatically.

"I abhor coffee" she stated

"Tea then!" he exclaimed brightly, undeterred "I know you like that"

"I'm like an open book to you, hmm?" Kimiko said archly.

"Not at all. I'm only playing an your good side. Tea?"

Kimiko smiled, the man was incorrigible.

"I'll call. Get some breakfast while I'm at it" she said reaching across the bed for the phone "Want?" she asked dialing Room Service.

"Sure. No peanuts, I'm allergic"

"All done. Now be a good boy, and keep yourself busy as I go shower" she told Jack.

* * *

A shower and a peanut-butter-free breakfast later, they were –all three of them, for Dojo wouldn't have slept through breakfast- seated comfortably around the room. Jack sat cross legged on the bed, crypts in his hands, his face locked in a frown of concentration. He wore his orange goggles again. Every few minutes he would mutter a curse word.

Kimiko sat curled up in one of the armchairs, covering her feet in bandages. It was depressing how much of her feet she had to cover in ointment and white material. There was hardly any skin left, that was not either raw, swollen or covered in bandages. A miracle her toes didn't freeze off too. She suddenly remembered how nice and warm Jack's body had felt as he carried her. Kimiko paused, that had been a completely random and marginally disturbing thought. She shook her head to dislodge it and redirected her attention to her feet.

Dojo was serenely polishing a framed photo of Master Fung.

A particularly loud curse from the bed made Kimiko look up from her depressing occupation.

"You ok?" she asked curiously.

Jack heaved a frustrated sigh. He ran his free hand through his hair, in the other he held the cryptex "This thing is impossible" he hissed.

Kimiko straightened up in the armchair " I thought you liked the thing"

"Oh, I do" he exclaimed glaring at the cylinder "It's just that it's so… frustrating" he stood up, suddenly pacing the room.

"You explain things so well Jack" she intoned "let's give it another go" she said, getting up and carefully making her way to the recently vacated bed "Sit down and explain how the thing works, maybe I can help"

The prospect seemed to appeal to Jack, as he readily joined her. He dropped on the bed with a little too much enthusiasm, Kimiko was lifted off it for a second.

"Try to keep the explanation relevant, don't wander off" she told him.

"Will do" he agreed, giving a mock salute "Okay then. So this is basically a hollowed cylinder. Inside it is a slip of papyrus-our clue- as well as a vial of vinegar" he launched into the explanation.

"Vinegar?" Kimiko interrupted.

"Yeah. If you tried to forcefully open the cryptex, the vial would crack, and the vinegar would dissolve the papyrus" Jack explained patiently.

"Ok, so no cheating. Go on" she said.

"Well" he said leaning in towards her "this is the good bit. Notice the wider cylinder has a labyrinth like pattern on it, it's also only half as tall as the other cylinder. Now if you'll look closely at this longer cylinder, you'll notice that there are tiny bumps running the length of it. To open the cryptex you need to slide over, hook and press the buttons in, in a correct order, to trigger the opening mechanism. Kinda like a key turning in a lock."

Kimiko nodded slowly "Sounds fairly uncomplicated. Where's the catch?"

Jack grimaced "Uncomplicated in concept. But have you seen the thing. Pardon the expression, but that maze is a bitch to crack"

"Can I have a go?" she offered.

Jack gave her a doubting look, which she instantly found offensive "What? You think I'm not clever enough?" she demanded angrily.

"No!" Jack exclaimed, hastily leaning away and lifting his hands in a placating gesture "It's just that, you tend to sort of run off with your temper"

Their eyes met "Yeah, like that" Jack said appearing to shrink under her heated glare. "I'll give it to you, if you promise to handle it calmly" he conceded, slowly offering her the cryptex.

Kimiko rolled her eyes "Does my temper come out as being that terrible?" she cried out.

"Yes!" both Jack and Dojo said at once.

Kimiko silently and a little stiffly took the device. Experimentally she started twisting and sliding the maze over the bumps. She managed to push it up half an inch, before it jammed "Wha-?" she said trying to get it free.

Jack's hand appeared out of nowhere to cover both of hers, stilling them "Don't do that. When it sticks, just allow it to slide back" he said soothingly.

Without the support of her hand the cylinder slid back. Jack removed his hand.

Several tries later Kimiko handed the cryptex over "This is really not my thing" she muttered grudgingly.

"I could have told you that. I did, I think. Kim, baby, you have virtually no patience unless you really focus on it" Jack said informatively.

Kimiko only shrugged.

* * *

"Kimiko?" Jack called after a while.

She looked up from her bored slump "Yes?"

"Babe, it's really distracting having you hover like that" he said, his eyes intent on the cryptex, he'd managed to slide it halfway over.

"Distracting?" she repeated, lifting an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Like I keep feeling the need to look over and see if you're doing anything, or just staring blandly at nothing" he said fluttering a hand for emphasis.

"That makes sense Jack" she said sarcastically "so if I were to start prancing around, you'd find me less distracting, because I would be doing something?"

"No. I would still find you distracting, but for very different reasons" he said, finally looking up to give her a very pointed once over.

Kimiko's eyebrows shot up at that and her mouth fell open slightly, in surprise. The thing must be really getting to him if he was spouting stuff like that. Still he was being irritating and completely unreasonable. To think only moments ago he was picking on _**her**_ temper.

"It's not like I can do anything useful, remember? I tried and you banished me to this end of the room" she said acidly.

Jack cursed loudly. He'd run into a dead end again. Reluctantly he allowed the cylinder to fall back. He looked up at her once more. He sighed "You're being overdramatic"

"Yes, well you're clearly frustrated and eager to stir up a fight to vent out some of it" she countered.

"Not at all. I was merely going to make a suggestion. _**You**_ took up the defensive" he said innocently.

"Right. I'm all ears" Kimiko said derisively.

"Why don't you take Dojo and go out, have a look at the tourist attractions. Buy some souvenirs" he suggested.

Kimiko gapped at him "Are you trying to kick me out of my own room?" she demanded "Why don't you just run along to your room?"

"Don't get abrasive. If I did that, _**you **_would still be bored, and _**I**_'d be stuck with a permanent squint" Jack noticed her bewildered look and added for clarification "because of poor lighting"

Kimiko rubbed her forehead. He could be so exasperating. She decided to take the walk for sanity's sake.

She took a quick run around the city. It was a shame she didn't allow it more time, she thought. She particularly enjoyed Les Jardins de la Muette and the Alexandre Dumas Museum- she hadn't known that Villers Cotterets had been his home town.

Kimiko returned to the hotel room, little over an hour later.

"That was fast" Jack greeted her. He sat at the window table, making use of the last rays of sun.

"I took your car" Kimiko told him happily and tossed him the keys.

Jack caught them out of reflex. He stared from them to Kimiko "You took my car?" he cried in disbelief.

Kimiko shrugged, trying to hide the growing smile.

"How did you get these?" he said jingling the keys "You stole my keys!" he gasped.

Kimiko gave him an arch look "Now who's being overdramatic? And I didn't steal them. I borrowed them"

Jack's face turned into a pained grimace. He clearly wanted to argue the point, Kimiko cut him off before he had the chance "I gave them back, therefore I borrowed. So what are you doing?" she asked walking over to the table.

"He's being artistically creative" a voice answered from the armchair. Kimiko turned to look at Dojo. He was flipping through the channels on the large screen TV. "He started doing that a while ago, after he threw the tantrum. A shame you missed that, it was really funny when he p-" Dojo said with increasing enthusiasm.

"I" Jack said loudly, talking over the little dragon "am drawing out the pattern of the maze, so that I can try and work it out" he finished, glaring at Dojo.

Kimiko looked at Jack "So? Any progress?" she asked.

"I need to finish this first. Then I'll start working on possible routes" he told her as he carefully drew another line. His hand was very steady, Kimiko noticed.

Something else caught her eye. She walked forward, towards the table. "Jack, could you please lift the papers for a second?" she said.

A shadow of worry crossed Jack's face "I'm a bit busy" he said a little too fast, his hands nervously spread out the papers, in an effort to obscure more of the table surface.

"Jack, this is not my table" she said frowning.

"Of course it isn't, it belongs to the hotel" Jack said.

"There's a different pattern on it" Kimiko said, now looking suspiciously at Jack "Where's my table Jack?"

"Er" Jack said, frantically drawing out the maze design.

Kimiko pursed her lips "Dojo" she called, not looking away from Jack "What happened to the ta-?"

"Okay so I was a little angry" Jack admitted. He wouldn't make eye contact with her.

"A little? You trashed the table? Did you break anything else? Is this why you wanted me out?" she asked in disbelief.

"No, I didn't break anything else; and yeah, it would have been nice if you'd taken the lizard with you as well" Jack said grudgingly.

Dojo answered this with an evil chuckle.

Kimiko smirked, not really sure what an appropriate reaction would be. Poor Jack, he looked really frazzled. She frowned slightly, it had occurred to her that he'd been working on the thing for about five hours "Maybe you should take a break" she offered in a kindly voice.

"Why? Do I look neurotic?" he asked, twitching his eye convincingly.

Kimiko snorted. "Did you have lunch?" she asked.

Jack twitched his eye.

"I'll call for lunch. You take a breather. Go watch TV" she told, her tone inviting no insubordination.

"Nu-uh. After I finish this" he said, insubordinately, sounding like a petulant child.

Kimiko smiled, hanging up the phone, having placed the order. She sauntered towards him "You know, I could make you stop" she almost purred.

Jack's head snapped up at her tone. His red eyes were glued to her face. His lips curled into a slow smile "Oh really? And how will you do that?" he asked slowly, laying down his pencil.

Kimiko closed the distance between them and leaned down until their faces were level, she smiled predatorily.

Jack's pulse picked up speed. A pleasant warmth was spreading throughout his body. His breath caught when he saw her hand reach out towards his face.

Slowly, still smiling, Kimiko brought her hand to his cheek, sliding it in a gentle caress touching his temple, then drifting over his ear "Physically" she whispered and sharply tugged him out of the chair by his ear. The chair fell back with a clatter.

Jack's gasp at Kimiko's last word turned into a cry of pain "A-ah-ow! Alright! Alright, I get it! I'm done, I'm done!" he cried pitifully.

Kimiko let go, her face smug "I have to give it to you Jack, you never pick the easy way"

Jack was cradling the side of his head, he looked up through watering eyes "Where's the fun in that?"

Kimiko shook her head. A knock on the door announced the arrival of Room-Service. "Sit" she commanded and went to answer the door.

* * *

"They have good food here" Jack said between mouthfuls.

Kimiko smiled. Her eyes fell on the little dragon, currently wolfing down a rather large plate of food. Another point Jack and Dojo agreed upon. They both seemed to love eating.

"I always liked this movie" Jack spoke again "Gerard Depardieu plays a good Count"

They were watching The Count of Monte Cristo. "Yeah, I thought it was fitting to watch this. Did you know Dumas was born in this town?" Kimiko asked.

"Yeah, found out when I was researching the place. Pretty cool, I thought. Did you see the museum?" he said, watching the screen.

"Yeah, had to do it in a hurry though" she answered, shrugging.

"You just couldn't stay away from the great excitement at home, could you?" Jack said, smiling wryly.

Kimiko grinned "Actually, it seems there was quite a bit of that. Honestly, a table? We'll need to pay for that" she said, teasing.

Jack groaned in response.

"Would you two keep it down? I'm trying to watch this" Dojo complained.

The phone rang suddenly.

"Oh great" muttered Dojo in annoyance.

Distractedly, Jack reached out and picked it up. This annoyed Kimiko slightly. It was _**her**_ room.

"Ello" Jack said into the speaker, a french fry halfway to his mouth.

"Uh-huh" he muttered, nodding "A gentleman?" he asked slowly, lifting his eyebrows at Kimiko, who rolled her eyes.

Jack's face froze at whatever he heard next. He looked more pale than usual. This made Kimiko curious.

"I'll be right down" he said hanging up. Almost instantly he was on his feet and rapidly walking towards the door.

"Wait!" she called after him, getting up as well "What is it?" she asked anxiously.

Jack stopped with his hand on the doorknob. He turned to look at her "It seems Chase is paying us a visit" he said darkly.

Kimiko's eyes widened in alarm "Do you think he suspects-?" she left the question hanging.

Jack shook his head "I don't know. I'll find out in a jiff though…Stay here" he said, darting out the door.

* * *

Ten minutes later Jack returned looking bemused.

Kimiko eyed him expectantly.

"Well, it wasn't Chase" he said "it was some lackey of his. I think I offended the fellow by looking so relieved to see him. Anyway, he brought a note for you, from Chase"

Kimiko frowned slightly "What does it say?" she asked.

Jack gasped "Ah! You wound me! You think I would read your mail?" he said, apparently appalled by the notion.

Kimiko gave him a pointed look.

Jack's shoulders slumped in defeat "Female intuition!" he exclaimed "Amazing thing, no way around it"

Kimiko tapped her foot impatiently "Get on with it"

"Okay" he said, producing the folded piece of paper. He flipped it open "He wants to tell you Hanibal Bean is planning something appropriately evil, down in South America" he paused "hmm. Why do you think Chase'd share this?"

Kimiko shrugged "He hates Bean and he has a political career to keep publicly clean. I should give Rae a call, give him a heads up"

"O-kay. Well, he goes on a bit about that, he's a very meticulous writer, Chase is. Lots of big words. Ah yes, he finishes with a droll comment on seismic activity in France and how volcanoes pick the most curious moments to go off" he said, skimming quickly thorough the note. He met Kimiko's worried look with one of his own.

"Oh no. I guess the groaning, the grinding, the really loud rumbling and the ground shaking didn't go unnoticed. Do you think he knows anything?" and after a moment of thought "Does he sound interested?" with Chase that was usually more important.

Jack pursed his lips thoughtfully "He sent a note…that doesn't really scream interest. He's just jerking our chains. He really enjoys messing with people"

Kimiko nodded knowingly "That's good I guess, I would hate to have him as competition" she said with genuine relief.

Jack nodded and walked to the table to pick up the paper, a pencil and the cryptex. Bringing them with his he sat down to the floor, leaning his back against the bed.

After some more sketching, having presumably finished drawing out the maze pattern he began tinkering with the codex. Inevitably the string of curses resumed. Every now and then he would stop to cut out or draw another path.

Having lost interest in the movie, Kimiko went to sit next to him, on the bed, watching his progress and making suggestions.

Kimiko sighed inwardly. Her eyes flew to the clock on the wall. Progress was slow, another two hours had passed. An excited sound drew her attention back to Jack. He'd managed to cross over the latest stitch and had covered more than two thirds of the way.

"Oh yes!" she whispered excitedly, hovering above Jack, her hands clasping his shoulders "Come on, you can do this!" she said in his ear, her eyes keenly following the movements of his fingers as they slid and turned the cylinder. Dojo was peering over his other shoulder, tail twitching nervously.

There was a collective intake of air, as with hesitant fingers Jack gave the cylinder its final turn. Nothing for a moment, then a series of clicking noises filled the silence, and the top of the cryptex slid open.

Kimiko squeaked in delight "You did it! You're brilliant!" she cried in joy, hugging his head.

Dojo roared a flaming "All right!"

As for Jack, he seemed a little dazed, slumping back limply against the bed, with Kimiko's arms wrapped around his head and neck "Whew! I think I'm not cut out for this kind of excitement" he said weakly, gazing wonderingly at the troublesome little device.

* * *

888

Read&Review, make a writer happy.

Well, that's over. No what will they find inside?

Nothing really helpful probably. Definitely not straightforward.

Place your bets!


	12. Chapter 11 Certainty

Um, hello! waves

Been a long time since I updated the fic, but never fear, I do intend to finish it.

I want to tell you guys, reviewing works, I feel so guilty for not posting every time I get one. That's right shame me into updating :D

Again I want to thank everyone for reviewing, so thank you: Elena, Halfhuman123, Snaperules, Badkidoh, White Wolf Zita, Rydicule and EvilBoyGenius-JackSpicer's-Grl

Also thank you to the people who add me or my story to the alert list!

Anyhow, onwards with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except I guess Obie…Yay?

888

* * *

Chapter 12 – Certainty

* * *

Kimiko watched eagerly as Jack tipped the container, she and Dojo were each hovering over one of the redhead's shoulders, a piece of parchment slid smoothly out of it and into Jack's waiting palm.

"You were right" Kimiko exclaimed, trying to get a better look at the rolled up paper.

"Your confidence in my ability is groundbreaking and truly flattering" Jack muttered, doing his best to ignore the weight she put on his left shoulder, mostly because it didn't feel at all uncomfortable. "Of course I was right. I'm always right" he continued absently, as he began to slowly and very carefully unroll the parchment. Three pairs of eyes stared at its content.

Kimiko's voice was the first to break the silence "I don't believe it… a riddle. How cliché is that?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"It's France" Jack told her by way of an explanation. He was presently staring at the piece of paper in his hand, like it was holy.

Kimiko tilted her head to get a better angle on Jack's face. She was not surprised to see that his eyes were practically sparkling with excitement.

"This. This is what treasure hunting is all about" Kimiko heard him say in a heated whisper.

"What does it say?" Dojo asked, from over Jack's other shoulder. The riddle was written in French, and Dojo had never bothered with languages much.

"It's all yours Jack. Your French is better than mine" Kimiko told him, eyeing the text apprehensively. She stifled a yawn.

"Right. Scoot over, my back is killing me" Jack said and with a groan hefted himself off of the floor and unto the bed. He stretched with his arms above his head, the motion was accompanied by a symphony of popping joints and vertebrae, making him wince.

"Would you just get on with it?" Kimiko demanded impatiently, as he was busily popping each finger joint.

"Okay, okay" he said, taking another luxurious stretch. He read the riddle over a few times, his brow furrowed in thought, his eyebrows performing an almost constant up and down motion, to match his thinking pattern..

Again Kimiko was struck by how expressive his face was. If she tried, she thought she might probably be able to decipher the contents of the riddle just by looking at his constantly fluctuating expressions.

"So" Jack said suddenly, clearing his throat "It says something like this:

The child of fire you now seek

The will to reach the heavens you will need

Find a rock to pierce the sky

A hallowed place – The highest point

Shy away from the wrath of God

The sin of theft does burn

With the blood of the stone

Cower in the depths

To find the final resting place

Fire withers without air"

Jack was silent a moment, then added "that last bit is a little removed from the rest, it's almost like a second thought. I should write this down" he mused aloud.

"And what's that, under the text" Kimiko asked taping the strange drawing with a finger. It was a single line twisting and curling, without following any apparent design, at one end was the now familiar drawing of a salamander "It looks like a map" she finished.

Jack nodded "I think it is one. Except I don't know a map of what" he said, the thoughtful look returning.

"Can you scan it into the computer and try to find a match via the satellite network?" Kimiko suggested.

"I could do that, but I doubt it's going to help. I rather don't think this is a map to any preexisting highway" he said, but seeing her deflate a little continued "Our best bet is to find out where the riddle is pointing to and then look for the path"

Kimiko nodded "You should write down the translations so we can have it for reference"

Jack got up and retrieved a piece of paper and a pen. He plopped back down onto the bed, using his knee for a hard surface he started writing out the clue.

"What are you doing? Writing it in Cyrillic?" Kimiko cried, staring at the chicken scrawl his hand was leaving in its wake.

"It's my handwriting. It's perfectly legible" Jack said defensively.

"I beg do differ" commented Dojo.

"Give me that" Kimiko said, claiming both pen and paper from Jack's only slightly resisting hands "Dictate and I'll do the writing"

Jack quirked an eyebrow at her "You're Japanese" he told her.

"Yes, and I still write a more legible English than you do" She countered smirking. Grudgingly he repeated his translation, as Kimiko dutifully wrote it all down.

The paper was then placed in the middle of the bed, Jack, Kimiko and Dojo sitting in a circle around it.

"So the riddle is pointing to a location?" asked Dojo.

"Most likely, it would explain the presence of the map" Jack reasoned.

"Assuming that is a map" Dojo countered.

"Yeah, I'm sure it's actually just a decorative squiggle. The writer was feeling artsy that day" Jack said testily.

"Knock it off you two" Kimiko cut them off before the conflict could escalate. "God, I hate riddles" she muttered, glaring daggers at the offending piece of paper.

"Of course you do, you're too pragmatic for this sort of thing. You like to beeline straight to the point, or the answer as it were"

"Yes, well, you're plain fanciful" Kimiko retorted, feeling affronted for some reason.

Jack shrugged unconcernedly "Whatever works" his features took on a pensive cast "A rock to pierce the sky… hmm I don't suppose we have to hurl rocks in the air. A meteor maybe? Do you know if there's any meteor shower passing through?" he asked seriously.

"Er, I don't think so. But why would we need crashing meteors to find this thing?" Kimiko asked, a little dubious.

Jack waved his hand "You know how these things go, planet alignment, eclipses and so on, mystical mumbo-jumbo is what they thrive on"

Kimiko had to agree with that. The Wu were proof enough for even the most hardened of cynics.

"Maybe it means a really tall mountain?" she suggested, hoping they wouldn't have to wait for rocks to come flying out of the sky.

Jack ran this over in his mind "That's not bad- in fact, I think it might just be it" he declared making a grab for the paper.

Kimiko felt herself swell up with pleasure at the praise, and then felt silly about doing so.

"The sin of theft does burn/With the blood of the stone" Jack read out loud "Blood of the stone could be lava" he said, his voice building up with excitement.

"A volcano!" They both said together.

"Yeah!" Dojo exclaimed feeling left out of the loop.

"That makes sense, very appropriate too-" Kimiko stopped abruptly, a look of horror crossing her face.

Jack frowned in confusion at the sudden change in her demeanor, his lips forming a question. He stopped, his lips a perfect "o" of realization.

They both turned their heads to look at Chase's note, innocently folded up on the bed stand. They looked back at each other, now sharing the look of horror.

Dojo twitched his tail irritably "What?" he demanded, annoyed at being constantly left out.

"Chase" Kimiko answered almost in a daze "He mentioned volcanoes in his note" she shook her head, as if to dispel the unease "But he couldn't have known. _**We**_ didn't know until one minute ago"

Jack rushed to reassure her "No, no. It has to be coincidence" a pause "Although it is Chase we're talking about" he amended nervously.

"Thanks Jack" Kimiko muttered drily.

"How should I know what goes on in that twisted, evil mind of his?" Jack cried.

Kimiko sighed, feeling awfully tired "Never mind. We'll find out anyway soon enough"

"True. We're still left with the volcano. This probably narrows down our search to a million possible locations" Jack informed them brightly.

"That's nice. Doesn't the rest of the riddle help narrow _**that**_ down?"

"Possibly. But we need to actually solve it first" Jack cast a quick glance at Kimiko, the paper in his hand and the watch on his wrist "Which we will do first thing tomorrow" he finished, yawning hugely to make a statement.

"You should get some rest princess, I know I interrupted your beauty sleep today" he teased as he got up to leave.

Kimiko glared halfheartedly at his retreating back, wondering if she should throw the pen at his head.

* * *

Upon waking up the next morning, Kimiko lay propped up against her pillows, covered in the warm doublet the hotel provided, with Dojo snoring peacefully from the foot of the bed. She was waiting for an epiphany to strike, as they sometimes do after a long sleep. It was slow in coming. It was in fact not coming at all.

She extended a hand, feeling along the night table for the clue. Her questing fingers encountered the folded note, which she picked up, deciding to read it herself. She smiled a little. Jack really had given her the briefest of summaries. As notes go, it was a very long one, written in what she guessed was Chase's small and very neat hand. The smile faded as her eyes picked out the word volcano. It seemed to rise up from the rest of the text and taunt her. Suddenly angry Kimiko crushed the paper in her fist, opening her hand she dumped the ashes in the ashtray on the bed stand.

Remembering what she had originally intended to do, she sat up to look for Jack's translation. Not finding it she realized Jack must have taken it with him when he had left that night. She sighed, hoping he might have had some luck with it.

An hour later, Dojo on shoulder, Kimiko was knocking on Jack's door. It opened revealing Jack, looking fresh and very cheery, his grin was nothing short of dazzling in its brightness.

"Come in! Come in!" he invited cheerfully making room for Kimiko to enter, and following after.

Kimiko had to stop and stare at the interior of his room. By all means it should be an exact replica of her own. It looked like her room if you squinted and tilted your head a little to the left and imagined a hurricane had swept through.

"Sorry for the mess" Jack said from behind her. He walked around her and attempted to straighten out the bed a little. He picked up an armload of scattered shirts and socks and bunched up papers and some unnamed metallic objects and dumped them in an armchair already containing a mountain of aforementioned objects. They stood in precarious balance, a slight tremor running through the pile every now and then. It seemed to be defying physics, truly a thing of wonder.

Kimiko tore her eyes away from it and walked to sit on the cleared patch of bed.

"So, any luck?" Jack asked. He was leaning against the doorframe, a roguish half smirk on his face.

She sighed "No. None whatsoever. And not to point a finger but you did take the parchment as well as the translation, leaving me with not much to go on. You?"

He laughed and picked his way to the bed, where he plopped down next to her, jarring her, which earned him a glare and an elbow to the stomach.

"No thanks to you" he said a little tightly, rubbing the bruised skin "I am sporting a bump on the back of my head from your little outburst last night" he gave her a woeful look, which she completely ignored "But yes, I did work it out" and his smile grew obnoxiously smug.

"Go on" Kimiko urged, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes at him.

"Olympus"

She blinked "Olympus?" she repeated "Mount Olympus?"

"The one and the same" Jack agreed.

"Wow, that's… well, Jack, you make it sound like there's no room for doubt"

"That's because there is no doubt. Olympus fits it all" Jack declared.

"Do elaborate" Kimiko said losing her patience.

"If I must" he said stretching out on the bed, enjoying the upper hand for once.

Lifting her legs up on the bed, Kimiko attempted to make herself comfortable in the limited space. She watched Jack expectantly.

Dojo slipped from her shoulder and unto the bed, where he slithered his way to Jack's head.

"Well?" the dragon demanded, puffing a cloud of smoke into Jack's face.

Jack sat up hastily, choking and sputtering. Never one to give up without a fight, Jack made a lunge for Dojo, grabbing the fleeing dragon by the tail and holding him up level with his face. This might not have been the wisest course of action, dangling a fire breathing dragon by its tail in your face generally isn't. This didn't seem to occur to Jack "Why you little coal sucking fiend" Jack grated at the impassive reptilian face.

"Can you two not spend fifteen minutes in each other's company without breaking out in a war? You're acting like five year olds, both of you. Jack, put Dojo down. Dojo, stop bullying Jack" she ordered imperiously.

Like chastised children, the two, man and dragon, bowed their heads in shame and did as she instructed. Both settling themselves as far away from the other as the bed and Jack's scattered belongings would allow.

After this ritual seemed to be completed Jack cleared his throat "Right. Right. Kimiko, if you would please hand over the paper from the night stand?" he said extending a hand to take it.

"So let's run over this then. Okay first line: The child of fire you now seek – pretty self explanatory, obviously it means the Salamander. Moving on, next two verses: The will to reach the heavens you will need/Find a rock to pierce the sky – A tall rock, a mountain, which Olympus happens to be. Fourth line: A hallowed place – The highest point – Mount Olympus was said to be home of the Gods, it doesn't get any holier. Fifth and sixth lines: Shy away from the wrath of God/The sin of theft does burn – obvious if metaphorical reference to fire, theft probably refers to taking something hidden as well as the Greek myth of Prometheus. Seventh verse: With the blood of the stone – blood of stone, lava, so not a mountain but a volcano. Again, Mount Olympus just happens to be a volcano. Eighth and ninth verses: Cower in the depths/To find the final resting place – final resting place, is the place where the Salamander is stashed, and cower in the depths I imagine means we have to go underground, underneath Olympus. Questions?" Jack said, having regained the air of smugness about halfway through.

Kimiko sat quietly, running Jack's explanation over in her head. It made sense, and the man was supposedly a genius. Still, something about it seemed off. Why Greece? It didn't make sense, if it were Italy then sure, but Greece?

"Are you certain?" she asked, feeling a need to voice her concerns.

"Yes. I went over it a million times, Olympus covers everything" Jack assured her confidently.

"But don't you think it's strange? I mean, Why Greece?"

"Well, I'm sure that Greece would make an excellent hiding place, exactly because no one would be expecting the King of France to hide his treasure there" Jack said reasonably "Trust me" he added, smiling reassuringly.

Mollified Kimiko gave up "Alright Ellas it is then. How do we get there?" she asked, still a little dubious, but willing put her trust in him.

Jack's wicked smile made a spectacular comeback, curling his lips up in a Cheshire grin "Par avion naturellement . Only the best for you princess. While you're with me I'll keep you in the lap of luxury!" He exclaimed getting off the bed and spreading his arms out flamboyantly.

Dojo made a puking noise.

Kimiko laughed "Oh is that what you call crawling on hands and knees through a dark damp muddy tunnel after facing a deathtrap?"

Jack's shoulders slumped under the weight of her words "Aw babe" he groaned "You had to spoil the moment"

"Stop whining, and get started on your packing, somehow I feel it might take a while" she said giving the room a long sweeping look.

"I'm not normally this messy you know" Jack said defensively "I just can't seem to be able to get anything organized when I'm travelling"

"Oh no doubt, no doubt" Kimiko said grinning, obviously not believing a word "I'd like to leave as soon as we're done"

This was received with a round of loud protests from both males. Kimiko pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation "Fine. We take breakfast, then we go"

* * *

Sometime later they were boarding Jack's private jet. This time Kimiko actually got to meet the pilot. A seasoned looking man in his forties, sporting a mane of short spiky black hair streaked with a little white. His face bore some questionable looking scars. Also he had an eye patch covering his left eye. Now normally you would question a man with an eye patch piloting a plane, but when you were face to face with _**this**_ man you really didn't feel like questioning him. The best way to describe this man, who's name is Obadiah Ridge, is to think of the image your mind conjures up when it stumbles upon the words "war veteran".

Jack introduced him as "Obie, my chauffer, pilot, bodyguard, butler on occasion, oh and when I was a kid he used to be my nanny"

Kimiko was a little taken aback by the last bit. Mr. Ridge and nanny sounded like two very, very different concepts. This led her to one unsurprising conclusion, Jack must have had a seriously demented childhood. A momma's boy looked after by a nanny who looked like he came out straight from Vietnam and could probably take out Rambo in a one on one. No wonder Jack was such an oddball.

During the flight Jack was uncharacteristically quiet, he sat stooping over the laptop he cradled in his lap. The only sounds coming from him were the tapping of the keyboard and the occasional thoughtful grunt. As a result, Kimiko found the trip to be very boring, she and Dojo having ended up playing cards.

After what felt like eternity Obadiah's voice announced that they would be landing in thirty minutes. It was very soon after this that Jack snapped his head up looking extremely embarrassed.

The sudden motion, made Kimiko turn to look at him. His face was flushed and he was fidgeting uncomfortably, he also looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't quite get it out past his tongue.

Dojo abandoned his cards in favor of the much more interesting show Jack was providing. After a little more squirming he finally found his voice.

"Kimiko, you remember back at the hotel how you said Greece seemed an odd choice?" He stammered nervously.

"Ye-es" Kimiko answered slowly, fixing Jack with a steady stare.

"Um, yeah, well that got me thinking, so I figured I might as well look over it again" he laughed nervously "And then I remembered there was this mountain, volcano, in France, Puy de Dome"

By now Kimiko could pretty much guess where this was going.

"And it just so happens that it sports a temple on its peak. Heh, it's very name actually means peak, the highest point, you know, peak…" he trailed off under her unwavering look.

"So you've brought us all the way to Greece for nothing" Kimiko said calmly.

Jack nodded jerkily.

Kimiko rolled her eyes "Trust me, he says!" she exclaimed.

Jack gathered himself up a little at this "It's not like I purposefully mislead you!" he cried "It was just a mistake. A very stupid mistake. I…" he stopped, staring at Kimiko "Are you smiling? Is that a smile?" he asked sounding wary and confused.

Kimiko's smile widened. Jack pulled back suspiciously "You're not angry?"

"No, not really. We only wasted a few hours and some fuel. Besides you do such a great job of self inflicting punishment" she laughed. Seeing he wasn't about to let his guard down she continued, in some exasperations "Oh come on, I'm not going to bite your head off"

Jack seemed genuinely surprised to hear this, which Kimiko felt was rather rude of him. "Did you actually work yourself up into this frenzy because you were afraid to tell me you made a mistake?"

"Well, Kim, baby, you're known to have a bit of a temper, an extremely fiery one at that, literally, and we're in a metal box, thousands of feet above the ground" he explained, still quite not believing himself to be safe.

Kimiko shrugged "I'm not angry. I might have been if we'd have gone all the way to Olympus and dug up its base, or something, before you caught on. But since that isn't the case, I'll let you off" she said graciously.

Jack sagged with relief, but it wasn't very long lived.

"Oh and you should probably tell Obie we need to turn around"

Jack's face turned pale.

* * *

888

Well, that's that, Read&Review people.


	13. Chapter 12 Drinks all around

Update!

I notice some of you reeaaaally want the romance to hurry up XD Sorry guys, still not much fluff this chap, but I promise I'm getting there. THERE WILL BE FLUFF! Anyway, the quest goes on. Will they find the damned Salamander this chapter? Will Dojo calm down? What is up with the title? shrug Who knows? Read and you'll see.

I also want to apologize for any mistakes this chapter, I just don't have the energy to double check it, and I just want to post it I'll recheck it later and do the necessary corrections. Hopefully they won't be too horrible.

Before we start I want to give thanks to my wonderful reviewers, I love you guys: EvilBoyGenius-JackSpicer's-Grl, Halfhuman123, Badkidoh, Shadir and Eduard Kassel.

888

* * *

Chapter 12 –Drinks all around

* * *

Jack looked a little shaken by his conversation with the one eyed pilot. From what Kimiko could hear, the conversation had been pretty one-sided, with Jack explaining why they had to turn around, his tone going from cool and collected, to apologetic, to a nervous babble very fast. Whatever happened in there, Jack seemed extremely happy to be out of the pilot's cabin.

"Well that's taken care of" he declared his voice coming out a little shrill.

Kimiko lifted an eyebrow "Puy de Dome, was it? What makes you so sure you're right this time?" she asked, crossing her legs, giving Jack an unsympathetic look.

Jack groaned piteously "Give me a break Kim, my heart rate's been going off its rocker for the past thirty minutes, at this rate I'm heading towards an early death" he paused, seeing no sympathy coming his way he resumed hesitantly "…It fits…"

"So did Olympus, or have you forgotten?" Kimiko reminded him harshly.

"This fits better" Jack's voice took on an edge of annoyance, her tone was grating on his already frayed nerves.

Kimiko gazed steadily at him before sighing in defeat "Alright" she conceded.

Jack seemed surprised by her ready acceptance "What? That's it? No fighting? No doubting? Not even ceaseless questioning?" he asked shaking his head in disbelief.

Kimiko shrugged " For whatever reason, against my better judgment, and the proof at hand" she gestured with her hands at the surroundings for emphasis "I do trust you. So whatever happens, we're going to go dig up that mountain if you point to it. What?" she asked acknowledging Jack's stare.

Jack's throat had gone dry at hearing her words. His red eyes were as round as saucers, with his eyebrows so high up on his forehead that they almost lost themselves in his hairline "Kim…" he began a little breathlessly "That's possibly the nicest thing you've ever said to me" he exclaimed in a daze.

Kimiko blushed, frowning she turned her face away to hide her embarrassment "Don't get used to it" she muttered.

Jack's face split into a mile, getting up he flung himself into the seat next to her, wrapping an arm around the surprised girl's shoulders.

Kimiko squeaked in alarm "Jack! What the heck!?" she demanded pushing at him.

"Oh stop struggling! You're not getting out of this one. You trust me remember?" Jack laughed hugging her close.

Kimiko gave up trying to shove him off and gracelessly subjected herself to his enthusiastic embrace. She sighed, exasperated with both herself and Jack. After another moment she did push him off "Okay, enough with the hugging, go on, shoo"

Jack pulled back, grinning widely "You are so very cute when you get flustered like that" he said, getting caught up in the moment, and perhaps unwisely.

"Jack, need I remind you that we're in a metal box thousands of feet up in the air?" she said warningly, repeating his earlier words.

"You're not going to blow us out of the sky" he answered confidently, leaning back in his seat and making himself comfortable.

"Oh? I'll just fly off on Dojo and abandon you to your fiery demise" she countered, her temper already evaporating, she felt a smile tugging at a corner of her lips. Being with Jack was like constantly riding a roller coaster of moods, she thought distractedly.

"No you wouldn't. What about Obie?" he asked grinning and crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'll take him with me"

"No! You'd break poor Obie's heart if you crashed the plane he was piloting"

Kimiko snorted at the mental picture this conjured up.

"Alright, alright you two, sorry to break up the party, but we've got business to attend to" Dojo called out loudly, clapping his talons together to grab their attention "Come on Red" he said to Jack, who raised his eyebrows at the new nickname "Spill. What do we have on this Puy de Dome?" the dragon asked.

Jack, though a little taken aback by Dojo's assertive manner, hastened to answer "Nothing much. I only just thought about it, so I don't know all the details. Ok, let's see, it's a dormant, relatively new volcano in central France, the department is named after it. It's considered a sacred worship place by the Celts, and on the very top of its 1465 meters there lye the ruins of a roman temple dedicated to the God Mercury, the messenger god-" here he was interrupted by Dojo.

"That's what you call 'nothing much'? A little lighter on the details will you?"

Jack shot Dojo a glare for the interruption "Whatever. As you guys might have guessed, this isn't exactly a secluded spot, it's actually a very popular tourists attraction. Actually, they even used it as a stage finish for the Tour de France. They have restaurants, taverns, gift shops, the works" he concluded.

Kimiko tapped her chin thoughtfully "That's not good, we hardly need an audience. We'll have to work around that somehow. But how do you dig up a mountain without people noticing? And I'm gathering it's pretty huge, so where do we even start?"

Jack gave her a wry look "You really want to get your hand on a shovel don't you babe?" this was met by a glare "Yes, it's big" he went on, undeterred " But I rather doubt we'll have to dig our way in. I imagine old kingy would have carved himself a decent access way to the Salamander. We need to find _**that**_" he explained.

"Fine. So where is _**that**_?"

"No idea" Jack answered calmly.

"Then where do we start looking for it?" Kimiko pressed.

"I haven't the slightest clue"

"What do you know?" she asked in exasperation. He could be so infuriating.

"Really Kim, I'm not being purposefully unhelpful, though I admit I do take some pleasure from annoying you. We'll just have to get there and do some on the spot research"

* * *

"How exactly is this research?" Kimiko demanded to know. They had arrived att Puy de Dome, having sent Obadiah to Clermont-Ferrand, a city some kilometers away, to arrange for housing accommodations. To be precise, they were on the top of the Puy de Dome, in a restaurant, enjoying French cuisine. Kimiko could hear Dojo appreciating it from beneath the table.

Jack had to swallow before answering "It was a long climb. Besides we've investigated the whole path up to here"

Kimiko sighed and moodily poked at her plate "Well I'm glad you two are feeling full and content" she said caustically as they left the restaurant. Jack was smiling blissfully and the bag she used to hide Dojo was significantly heavier than it had been when they had walked in. An unrepentant burp answered her from inside the bag. Kimiko told herself the bag didn't deserve to be hurled off the mountain. To think that only a few hours ago, Dojo, possibly overwhelmed by a sudden bout of homesickness, had been all eagerness to wrap this up and head back to the temple. Fickleness, dragon be thy name.

"Come now, you were just as hungry. You devoured that plate of food" Jack laughed at the outraged expression his words generated "albeit in a very dainty, very delicate fashion" he amended.

"Cute" Kimiko said, narrowing her eyes at the offensive pair "Now that we're _**all**_ fed and rested, can we get on with it?"

"Jack sighed, his shoulders drooping slightly "About that… I'm not really sure how to go about finding that damned entrance. This place is dishearteningly huge" Jack finished unhappily.

Kimiko looked around her at the passing tourists. Idle thoughts filled her mind. She remembered how not long ago her life used to be like that, simple. The settling darkness only seemed to increase the tide of visitors. Kimiko's eyes followed a couple walking hand in hand through the door of one of the shops still opened. No, it was a tavern, through a window she could see it had a very cozy look to it. The exterior was not much to look at, she thought distractedly. A moment later her mouth fell open.

"I was thinking of sending some of my scan-bots to do some scouting, but it would take an awful lot of them to cover this whole rock –maybe I should send home for more" Jack went on morosely.

"Jack" Kimiko called urgently.

"Yes, yes, I know that is also going to take up some time, but it still beats a shovel" Jack said in a reasonable voice.

"Jack!" Kimiko tugged at his sleeve to get his attention.

"Still we need to break up the mountain in to segments, and then decide how many bots to assign to each segment…"

"JACK!" she exclaimed giving his arm a hard poke.

"Ow! Do you mind? I'm trying to work this out" Jack complained, finally looking down at her.

"That might help speed things along" Kimiko said pointing to the tavern.

Jack looked blank for a moment. Then he looked surprised and at last settled for skeptical puzzlement "You really think getting a drink would speed this along? Well, to be fair it would speed _**some things**_ along… but I didn't think you were going for that… sort of thing" he blinked "not that I would mind" he added, giving her a strangely hopeful look.

Kimiko returned his initial blank look "The name Jack, read the name" she said, resisting the urge to smack her forehead.

"Oh" Jack said failing to keep the disappointment out of his voice "The name, the name" he muttered his eyes skimming along the wooden exterior "The Salamander" he read. Jack paused "Ah. That'll work"

"Has it occurred to either of you that it might just be coincidence?" Dojo asked poking his snout out.

"No." Jack and Kimiko answered together.

"Right then" the snout disappeared back inside the bag.

"Let us get a drink then" Jack said offering Kimiko his elbow.

Kimiko smirked, placing her hand over his proffered arm, and together they walked into The Salamander.

* * *

The inside was cozy. The walls were lined with wood paneling and the ceiling was held up by large oaken beams, plain metallic chandeliers hung down from it. Against the far wall was the bar, and pleasantly arranged chairs and tables filled up the rest of the room. It was small, but instead of looking cramped, it looked intimate. The walls were decorated with paintings depicting various landscapes as well as some still-lifes and a couple of portraits. The room was lit by a pleasant, warm glow. A cheerful accordion was playing on the radio.

Jack and Kimiko picked their way to the bar. They each took a seat on the tall bar chairs. A burly middle aged barman came to greet them. He gave them a welcoming smile.

"What can I get you two?" he asked, speaking in French.

"I'll have a beer" Jack said with an answering smile.

"And mademoiselle?" the barman asked looking at Kimiko.

"I'll have one as well" she answered.

Jack looked at her, surprise written clearly on his face "I never took you for a beer-drinker. You just look like a girl who's used to the finer things in life"

Kimiko smiled insolently at him "I do so love to surprise you" she said fluttering her eyelashes. Jack chuckled, enjoying her playfulness.

The barman offered them their drinks. Jack asked the man a question. Smiling broadly the man answered, a sense of pride entering his voice.

"What are they saying?" Dojo hissed.

Pretending to smooth out the folds of her coat, Kimiko answered the little dragon " Jack asked about the name of the place and the barman's answering. He says it's in honor of Francois the First who had a salamander for his crest" Kimiko looked up to see the barman departing to serve another customer.

"Did you see that?" Jack asked her excitedly.

"See what?" Kimiko asked, confused.

"That look!"

"What look?"

"The look the barman had when he answered my question"

"What look?" Kimiko repeated " That 'I take pride in my work' sort of look?"

"No, no. You misinterpreted that, it was the look of a man upholding a sacred mission, passed down from father to son for generations" Jack said confidently.

Kimiko blinked "Um Jack, you don't think you're reading to much into that one look?"

"No" Jack answered, his tone not leaving room for debate.

"Alright then. Just checking" she said lifting up her hand defensively.

"And look" Jack said pointing at a side door. It had a salamander carved onto its surface.

Dojo poking his head out, saw what Jack was pointing at "You guys _**really**_ don't believe in coincidence?"

"No" they answered together.

Dojo dove back in with a sigh of resignation.

"How much do you want to bet that that leads to the basement?" Jack asked smiling evilly.

"No bet" Kimiko answered "But we should check it out before we storm it, just in case"

"Mmm" Jack murmured pensively, then his face cleared "I have just the thing" he declared, pulling out one of the golden disks "I may not have enough to search the whole mountain, but one basement? No problem" He flipped the disk. He concealed the small robot behind his hand, where it hovered a moment over his other palm, before flying off too and under the door. "I always carry one with me" he explained.

"How do those things work?" Kimiko asked, looking at the door with mixed wonder and delight.

"Trade secret" Jack answered, giving her a wink.

"I suppose I'll just have to pry that one out of you when you least suspect. I might have to get you drunk" Kimiko said, watching him from beneath lowered lashes.

"My, what a devious little mind you have!" Jack exclaimed, obviously enjoying this exchange.

They drank their beers slowly, making idle conversation. Kimiko was surprised to find how fun this turned out to be. He did most of the talking. Jack recalled some more amusing moments of his childhood. She laughed and shared her own. She gaped at him as he listed his long list of extra-curricular activities. He figure-skated and played the piano, he also built robots and was a treasure hunter; he spoke five languages fluently and was working on his sixth. Yet when it came to menial tasks he was a complete klutz and he tended to always botch up the simplest things. Kimiko realized she'd never talked like this with him. They'd had plenty of conversations in the time they'd spent together, but they had always had to do with work some way or another. For the first time Kimiko thought she might actually miss him when this was all over.

Dojo, apparently bored by their senseless chatter dozed off. By the time they got up to leave, Jack's bot had returned and was safely tucked in one of his pockets.

That night when Jack visited Kimiko in her hotel room he was wearing a broad grin "Kim" he said, tossing the little sphere up in the air and deftly catching it "We're in business"

* * *

He looked her up and down and gave a low whistle. He cleared his throat "I'll keep this short. Wow!" Jack said smiling appreciatively.

Kimiko planted her hand on her hips, which in Jack's opinion, only served to improve the view. She gave him a stony look "Do you mind?" she said, annoyed with his staring, it was making her feel unpleasantly self-conscious.

"Not at all" Jack murmured, purposefully ignoring her discomfort, or as Kimiko suspected, shamelessly enjoying it. Wearing a Cheshire cat grin he slowly walked towards her. Kimiko eyed his approach warily. There was almost a predatory quality to it. "Now those are some fine looking boots. I am so brilliant" he said, shaking his head, apparently amazed with his handiwork.

Kimiko's mouth dropped open. The egotistical shmuck! -she fumed -Self-absorbed prick! She didn't know why something like that, coming from him, would surprise her. She huffed indignantly.

Jack laughed at her reaction. He found her mannerisms adorable, especially when she was annoyed. He continued his approach until he was standing directly before her. Kimiko had to tilt her head back to look at his face. Abruptly Jack bent down and placed a quick kiss on her brow.

The action was so unexpected, that Kimiko was initially stunned into motionless. She stumbled back gaping at him. Jack smiled "For good luck" he murmured.

The most disturbing thing about the situation, Kimiko thought, were the dozen butterflies raging merrily on in the pit of her stomach. Whatever relationship she and Jack were having it was undergoing some fundamental changes. Meanwhile, Jack seemed to encounter some difficulties of his own. His initial calm and confident demeanor was slowly disintegrating giving way to something akin to panic.

They stared at each other, neither knowing what to say to diffuse the tense atmosphere. The uncomfortable silence was interrupted by Dojo. Kimiko never thought she would see Jack look to Dojo with gratitude.

* * *

Jack took a deep calming breath as he leaned against the door of his room. He'd mad a quick escape out of Kimiko's room after Dojo's arrival, claiming to have some more preparations to get done. He took another deep breath, he felt absolutely jittery with nerves. What had just happened? Was he trying to put an early end to his life? It was a good thing Dojo had walked in when he did, because he had no idea what he was going to do after kissing her, but somehow he imagined things would have taken a turn for the incendiary, and not in a good way.

Jack collapsed on his bed. Kissing her had seemed like such a good idea at the time, she would have been surprised by his boldness and then… this was where his plan turned a little vague, but it definitely involved Kimiko doing something and not himself chickening out. It just came to show that no amount of therapy can cure character flaws.

Jack heaved a regretful sigh. It started so well, he had it all under control, all cool and composed and then she looked at him. That's when it started going downhill, insecurities and self-doubts reared their ugly heads and he gave into his cowardice and fled.

I must really love tormenting myself, he thought wearily. He sighed; it was because Kimiko indulged him and so, unwittingly encouraged him. She always teased back and played along with his games. The previous day, she'd allowed his hug and even said she trusted him. Then came the conversation from last night -and he'd never felt as close to her as he'd felt then- add a good deal of hormones to that and he was one suicidal step away from the severe burn section at the city hospital.

For her part, after overcoming her initial shock, Kimiko had to admit the sudden display of affection didn't come as such a big surprise. They'd flirted before, but she'd never seen it as more than a game. She smiled remembering how Jack had left the room, almost running for his life. She couldn't picture a serious relationship with him, nor did she want to imagine what her friends would have to say about it. But then, she thought, Jack is a seriously confused individual, he probably had no idea what he was doing. The thought brought a warm smile to her face, in his own strange way, the man was endearing. It occurred to her that she was seriously over thinking this, the kiss had been a perfectly innocent one, that friends might share. She found this a satisfactory conclusion and let the matter drop.

* * *

The interior of the car was eerily silent. Jack was beginning to regret his decision to ride in the back seat with Kimiko. His intention had been to patch things up, but he found he couldn't get his treacherous mouth to cooperate. Jack also found he was a little annoyed that nobody else seemed to be bothered by the all-encompassing silence. Obie was serenely driving the car, with Dojo lounging in the seat next to him, chattering away. Kimiko was watching the scenery as they drove past. Jack watched her, albeit discretely.

He looked away guiltily when Kimiko turned her head to regard him. She seemed amused "If you're worried about earlier, then stop. I'm not offended or anything, I was just a little surprised is all"

Jack gaped at her in disbelief, was she saying...? His heart was racing.

"You're awfully touchy-feely aren't you? I thought that was White-Jack" she said grinning.

Jack felt a mixture of relief and disappointment. He laughed weakly "I never thought about it"

Kimiko laughed and gave his shoulder a pat "You need to get out more. And I mean socializing, not researching" she paused looking thoughtful "Speaking of research, do you really think this is the best choice for a disguise. You do know what inconspicuous means right?" she said, quirking an eyebrow at the grey trench coat she was wearing.

"Oversized trench coats are so conspicuous they're practically inconspicuous" Jack explained matter-of-factly. Kimiko snorted at this. "Look, no one would believe that someone who wants to do something without standing out would choose to do so while wearing something that stands out, it's a double bluff" he added.

"Your logic is very…unconventional" Kimiko said diplomatically. It was Jack's turn to snort.

The plan was to have Obadiah take them to the top of Puy de Dome and then drive back, so the car wouldn't be left there to cause suspicion in case retrieving the artifact would take longer than planned. Jack and Kimiko would walk into the tavern, Dojo safely concealed in Kimiko's bag. Once inside the bar they would have to wait for the right moment, when the bartender would be distracted, to sneak through the side-door –which Jack assure them wasn't going to be locked.

They got out of the car wearing impressive oversized coats, to conceal their questionable looking outfits and bagpacks. Jack had insisted on bringing along some food, just in case, he'd said. Kimiko was grateful for the rain outside, that way at least the coats didn't stand out so much; she still felt that Jack's idea of inconspicuous bordered on the stereotypical –she was surprised he hadn't suggested the mustache and eyeglasses.

* * *

Some clever distracting –involving a laser beam, a chair leg, three chairs, two pints of beer, one wine glass, an ashtray and a very unfortunate tourist and quick foot work later, the three managed to get through the salamander engraved door –which, as Jack had predicted, was unlocked. Quietly they made their way down the stairs that lead to the basement, wincing at every squeak the old wood produced.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, after a quick assessment of their surroundings, Jack gave a low whistle "They sure do stock up good here" The cellar was full of wine bottles and barrels as well as other assorted beverages, crates upon crates of them.

"That they do" Kimiko agreed "Light please?" she told Jack. The flare of a flash light answered her words.

Dojo slithered out of her bag and unto her shoulder "Nice place" the dragon said quietly.

"There" Kimiko said, pointing at a tall, mostly empty rack of wine bottles, the now familiar mark scratched onto it.

"They really make this too easy" Jack said shaking his head and walking towards it. He tried to get some light between the rack and the wall behind it "I think there might be a door there" he told them, and leaning his back against it he started to push. And push. Jack grunted with the effort, but still the rack wouldn't budge. "What the hell?" he exclaimed "What do they fill those bottles with?"

Kimiko rolled her eyes "Move over" she said joining him "Wimp" she added loud enough for him to hear.

Together they pushed, without much result, apart from getting the liquid inside the bottles to slosh a little. Irritated Jack pulled out a bottle, he examined the bottle and inclined his head "A good year" he told them. Then without a warning he uncorked it and took a swig at its content.

Kimiko spluttered in disbelief "What are you doing? Are you insane? Now is not the time for you to be exploring your sommelier urges" she said in an outraged whisper.

"It's wine alright" Jack declared, ignoring Kimiko's anger "Want to try? No? Fine then" he said, replacing cork and bottle. Kimiko imagined the owner of the tavern would not be happy when he found that one of his probably very expensive wines had been tampered with.

Jack ran the light down the length of the rack "Ah" he breathed when the light was pointed at the floor "It seems to be bolted down" he said.

"Wonderful" Kimiko said unenthusiastically "What now? Do we unbolt it?"

Pulling out iron bolts from a stone floor was not what Jack had been expecting, needless to say the matter seemed extremely troublesome to him at that point."Hmm" Jack bent down to get a closer look at the bolts. His eyebrows shot up. The thing seemed to be stuck to the floor by a mechanism of sorts. He followed the length of it, and wondered how he hadn't noticed it before. "And here's the trigger" he whispered victoriously.

Kimiko leaned in curiously, Jack was looking at an empty space, where a bottle should have been, he pointed out the small metal plate at the bottom, it was connected to a spring –she hadn't noticed it before.

"That would be the trigger to unbolting this" Jack told her. He retrieved one of the dusty bottles from a near by shelf and slid it into the empty spot. They both watched as the spring compressed under the weight of the bottle. Nothing else happened.

Jack frowned "That's anticlimactic" Jack muttered "Either the thing is broken" he continued "Or it's not heavy enough" slipping his hand over the bottle he gently applied pressure to it. A series of clicks sounded out into the silence of the basement, then four louder clicks along with the grinding of stone. "Bingo" Jack smiled widely.

The rack slid easily across the floor, revealing an entrance under it and not in the wall behind it. Kimiko tsk-ed at Jack who shrugged his shoulders. The three of them stared at the dark hole. "Then there was light" Jack whispered aiming the light at it, revealing crumbly looking stairs but not much else. Jack suppressed a shiver, the place looked horribly narrow.

"Those things look awfully dangerous" Dojo commented, looking around Kimiko's neck "Crumbly" he added.

Jack nodded "Dojo, if you please" he said pointing at the dragon and then the stairs.

"I most certainly do not please!" Dojo exclaimed alarmed at the suggestion.

"If they collapse with you, we'll know they're not safe and think of another way down" Jack said reasonably.

"Yeah. That's very comforting for me" Dojo said dryly.

"What's the big deal? You can fly can't you?"

"Not in this form I can't, and that tunnel looks too small for my large form" Dojo retorted.

"Oh" Jack looked down at the steep flight of stairs, he felt terror bubble up in his stomach. He took an unconscious step back.

Kimiko made a noise of exasperation "Ladies first, I take it?" she said sarcastically and moved to descend.

Something stirred inside Jack "No" he said grabbing her arm. He hesitated.

Kimiko looked askance at him, then her lips curled into a wry smile "I should take the light huh?" and she extended her hand for the flashlight.

"No" Jack repeated. He took a big breath and bracing himself he took the first step down the dark steps and then another, he looked back at the surprised girl and dragon "Okay Kim, it's alright. If these things can hold me, they'll hold you" he said, trying to keep his voice even.

Kimiko raised an eyebrow "What if you just weakened them with your weight?" she said, taking a step after him anyway. Privately she was touched by his gesture, it wasn't something she expected from Jack, old or new. It wasn't only the possibility the stairs wouldn't hold, Jack was claustrophobic, and that tunnel was very narrow. Reaching up she pushed the rack back over the hole, to hide their passing.

The descent was slow and very creepy, strange alien noises accompanied every step, clouds of hundred year old dust rose up t choke them. The silence was oppressive. A strange sound caught her attention, it was raspy and rhythmic, like someone's heavy breathing. She realized it was coming from Jack. It was then Kimiko noticed the light was flickering, like the hand holding it was shaking. She felt a surge of sympathy and affection for the poor man. She reached out to touch his shoulder. He jumped at the contact "Jack?" she whispered worriedly.

He took two steadying breaths before turning to face her. His face was so unnaturally pale it seemed to glow in the darkness, she imagined she could see beads of perspiration glittering on his forehead. He attempted a smile, it came out looking like a grimace "I've never been a fan of tight places" he said his voice sounded tight and forced, like he was squeezing the words out.

Kimiko frowned in concern "Are you sure you can do this?" she asked.

"Maybe" Jack answered. Kimiko felt he sounded a lot more confident that the shaking and heavy breathing would suggest. "Here's to hoping this place widens up soon, or you'll have to roll me down the stairs" he went on, and turned away to continue the descent.

Kimiko followed unhappily behind him. She discovered she didn't like seeing him in pain. She was very grateful when upon reaching the bottom they found themselves in a wide, if dark cavern.

"That was horrible" Jack breathed, the relief almost tangible in his voice. "My hand hurts" he added mournfully.

Kimiko laughed lightly and rolled her eyes "You're unbelievable" she told him, but there was respect in her voice. "Give the light here"

Jack pointed it under his chin, the light casting odd highlights over his face "Actually, I have a better idea" he said shrugging out of his coat, rummaging through his backpack he handed Kimiko a little box.

She took it and looked at Jack questioningly, before realizing he probably couldn't see her as the light was pointed at the floor. "What is this?" she asked aloud.

"Night-vision contact lenses" he answered demonstrating by putting his own contacts on.

"And why didn't we use these from the start?" she demanded, carefully slipping the contacts over her eyes. She blinked, the effect was amazing, apart from the monochrome quality of the image, everything was as clear as daylight. She shifted her eyes to Jack who smiled a little sheepishly.

"I… well, I sort of forgot about them. What with the walls closing in on me and all that" he explained.

Kimiko hung her head in defeat. She placed Dojo on the floor and removed her coat, revealing the outfit Jack had provided for her. She looked over to Jack and smiled "Jack? The coat-tail" she said.

Jack might have flushed, she couldn't be sure, he hastily un-tucked the bottom of his flowing black coat from the belt. He'd had to fold it because it was poking out from under the trench-coat. She had to hold back a smile at his antics. Kimiko refrained from commenting on the wisdom of wearing such a coat in the first place, it was bound to get caught up in something and Jack along with it.

Jack was looking around the cavern "There" he pointed "There's an exit". He walked over to it, he sighed heavily "Not as wide as I would like, but not unbearable" he muttered, apparently to himself. He walked in, with Kimiko and Dojo following.

"Are you sure about this? I'd hate to get lost down here" Kimiko whispered.

"Don't worry, I have a map" Jack answered over his shoulder.

"You do?" Dojo and Kimiko said together, united in their surprise.

"Yes, and you know about it. Remember the decorative squiggle at the bottom of the riddle?"

Kimiko nodded remembering. The tunnel forked out, Jack hesitated a moment before confidently walking to the one on the left. After some more bifurcations and tunnels crossed, Kimiko was beginning to worry that they might have gotten themselves lost. It was with relief that she walked into another wide cavern. Her eyes skimming the walls fell on a raised stone structure upon which there was a large glass container. She gasped at what was inside.

"Oh yes!" Jack said "There's our goal" he walked over excitedly. Kimiko followed at a more cautious pace, fearing there might be more traps like there were at the castle.

As if sensing her apprehension, Jack turned to look at her over his shoulder "Don't worry about traps in here, they wouldn't be foolish enough to risk setting off the volcano" he assured her.

They reached the stone pedestal and looked at the object of their search. It was about ten inches long, shaped like a lizard, with its tail curled around it and neck extended. A pattern was weaved into the gold picking out scales, and some discolorations depicting star shaped spots. The eyes were two large gemstones. It was beautifully crafted, perfect down to every single scale. Kimiko wasn't surprised that a collector like Solomon Kersh would crave it.

On her shoulder Dojo was almost bouncing with excitement, no doubt anticipating his reunion with Master Fung. Kimiko allowed reality to settle in. This was the end. They'd grab the Salamander, collect the reward and be on their separate ways. She didn't feel as happy or relieved as she'd thought she would.

* * *

888

N'aaaaw, don't worry Kim, things never go down smoothly.

Want to find out what I mean? Stay tuned for the next chapter.

Why not leave a review while you're waiting?


	14. Chapter 13 Reminds me of

Update. Hmm…This is a pretty quick update for me don't you think?

Lucky number 13 lol

Ok, credit where credit's due: Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers (you guys read so fast XD), Badkidoh, Kattsumi-zhao Yamamoto, Shadir, Wolfinson, halfhuman123

Kattsumi-zhao Yamamoto – Fluff is coming. Not sure how many more chapters will follow, I'm guessing 3? 4? Maybe 5? And his name is Obadiah, they just shorten it to Obie.

Halfhuman123 – oh you'd be surprised. Actually, I hope you _**will**_ be surprised.

Anyway, I think I forgot the disclaimer last chapter, so here we go again: Do not own, do not sue.

Enjoy!

888

* * *

Chapter 13 - Reminds me of

* * *

Jack examined the glass casing. He frowned at what he saw. "It's a glass box" he said out loud "It looks airtight, I'll have to cut my way inside" From his backpack he pulled out a small cylindrical object, it was similar to a flashlight in shape, except one end tapered off into a cone shape, with a hole down it's middle.

Kimiko lifted her eyebrows "Laser?" she asked, an amused smile curling her lips.

Jack nodded "Classic" he said with an answering smile.

Carefully he directed the ray to cut open the top of the box. He removed the glass pane and set it down onto the floor, next to the stone pedestal. Jack took a deep breath and reached inside, the fingers of his right hand curling around the gold statue. "And now" Jack said heaving a sigh "back into those delightfully tight, dark and suffocating tunnels" reluctance was carved in every line of his face.

"Get it together man" Kimiko said walking behind him and shoving him towards the exit "Think of it as a band-aid, it's better if you do it fast"

Jack groaned piteously, but allowed himself to be pushed out of the cavern. "Okay, you can stop pushing. I'll walk on my own now" he said looking over his shoulder. Jack barely got the words out when he tripped over a protruding piece of rock. He fell flat on his stomach, the artifact rolling out of his hand and across the floor.

"The Salamander!" Kimiko exclaimed rushing forward after it, jumping over Jack.

"Hey! A little compassion here!" the man cried indignantly, painfully picking himself up.

"Sorry Jack, priorities" Kimiko shrugged, she bent down to pick up the Salamander but stopped abruptly at Jack's cry of alarm "What is it?" she demanded anxiously.

Jack rushed to her "Don't touch it!" he cried pointing at the statue. He had risen to a half-crouch and looked ready to spring.

"What? Why not?" Kimiko demanded, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"Just don't! Legend has it that the Salamander is poisonous to the touch" Jack answered, calming down.

Kimiko frowned "You touched it" she pointed out "And you're still standing" she paused "Well, you got up, anyway"

"That's because I'm wearing gloves"

Kimiko looked down at his hands. He was wearing biker gloves, which left his fingers and knuckles unprotected. She was about to point this out when a movement caught her attention. Her head snapped to the fallen statue. She frowned in puzzlement.

"What?" Jack whispered noticing Kimiko's sudden distraction. He followed her look and they stared at the Salamander together "What?" he asked again.

Kimiko shook her head slightly "N-nothing, I thought… For a second I thought it turned its head" she said slowly, still staring at it.

"Don't be silly, it's a statue. Statues stand still, they don't move, hence the name" Jack scoffed "It must have been a trick of the light".

"Zip it Jack" she snapped, tearing her eyes away from the Salamander to glare at him "Besides, there is no light".

Dojo sighed "Sorry Kimiko, I'll have to side with Jack on this one. Now can we please get a move on? This place is giving me the creeps" a tremor ran through his serpentine body, to prove his point.

"I hope it didn't break" Jack muttered, turning and reaching for the small statue. He paused, his hand inches away from the golden head "You know… I could have sworn the head was facing the other way"

Kimiko felt a tingle race down her spine as Jack said the words. It had been facing the other way.

"You twisted its head?!" Dojo cried in dismay.

"Hardly. It's still attached to the body, and I can see now joints. I-" his next words died in his throat.

All three stared in mixed fear and surprise as the Salamander's head slowly turned towards them, the rigid neck slowly bending.

"That is seriously creepy" Jack breathed.

Slowly the gemstone eyes began to look more like eyes and less like gemstones. Two slitted pupils faded into existence. The statue blinked. And it was no longer a statue. The body expanded and constricted with every breath the creature took, its tail performed slow sinuous arcs in the dust on the floor as it assessed them silently.

"Ok. I was not expecting that" Jack said, his voice quivering slightly. He couldn't stop staring at the, now very much alive, Salamander.

A memory flashed through Kimiko's mind. A Wu. A dragon made of sapphire, covered in volcanic ash to keep it from enslaving the world. This didn't look good. "What do we do now?" she whispered back.

"I'm thinking" Jack said, without much confidence. He too remembered that particular Wu.

Then, before anyone could react, the Salamander darted away, down the corridor, at a surprising speed.

Recovering, and cussing for good measure, Jack ran after it, with Kimiko hot on his heels. They chased it down twisting tunnels, in the rush of adrenalin forgetting that their map only covered one path. The narrow tunnel opened into a new cavern. Jack and Kimiko skidded to a halt. The salamander was perched on a boulder in the center of it, watching them. It looked angry.

Kimiko took a quick look at their surroundings "Jack" she called uneasily.

"Yeah" Jack agreed, without taking his eyes of the small, ferocious looking lizard. It flicked its forked tongue at them. "We're lost"

"Oh, good. As long as we're all aware of that" Dojo said, a touch of hysteria to his voice.

"Dojo!" Kimiko exclaimed, a sudden idea occurring to her "Do you think you could talk to it?"

"Do you think you could talk to an orangutan?" the dragon answered testily "I'm not even sure what that thing is. Oh God! It hissed at me!"

Kimiko resisted the urge to slap herself; Dojo was going to be useless at this. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Jack walking towards the Salamander. "Jack! What are you doing?" she whispered urgently "It's dangerous!"

"It's okay" Jack said, to assure everyone, including himself. He walked forward slowly, so as not to startle the creature. "It's okay" he repeated softly "I'm not going to hurt you. Don't be frightened" he stretched out his arm towards it.

The Salamander hissed warningly, backing up a pace. Its tail twitched sharply from side to side. Its body seemed to be swelling.

"Jack I don't think that's such a good idea. Didn't the legends say the salamander was supposed to breathe-"

An enormous ball of flames erupted from the small lizard's mouth, heading straight for Jack. The man cried out and fell back. Before her brain had time to catch up with her body Kimiko had jumped in and deflected the scorching mass with one of her own. The flames crashed harmlessly into the cavern wall, leaving a dark patch as they faded away.

The Salamander backed away, apparently surprised at this new turn of events. Kimiko dropped down next to Jack, looking for injuries, while trying to keep an eye on the creature. "Are you alright? Your hand… " she cried, anxiously gripping his hand, and turning it this way and that. The leather glove was scorched, but the skin was smooth and clear. She stared at it in confusion.

Jack gently retrieved his hand. Gingerly he got up on his haunches "Its fine. Thanks to you" he said, giving her a grateful look "I would have been toast if it weren't for you. Literally" his eyes snapped back to where the Salamander had been. There was no sign of it.

Kimiko muttered a silent curse. She had noticed as well. "Damn! We lost it" she fumed; she turned her head to glare at Jack "How could you be so stupid? What were you thinking going off on your own like that?" she demanded, her relief at his being safe turning into anger at the scare he'd given her.

Jack opened his mouth to answer, but Dojo beat him to it "What about you?" the little dragon yelled at Kimiko "What were _**you**_ thinking, jumping like that in the middle of the fire. I nearly had a heart attack!" he complained.

"Chill guys" Jack said, holding his hands up in a placating gesture "We're all safe for the moment. And Kimiko, I'm really flattered by your concern" he added giving the outraged looking girl a wink.

"You're insane" Kimiko cried, throwing her hands out in exasperation.

Jack patted her knee comfortingly "Just a little high on adrenalin" Shakily he got up and offered Kimiko a hand, which she ignored, getting up on her own.

"We need to find that thing" Jack said, stating the obvious.

"We also need to figure out what to do once we find it" Kimiko reminded him.

"True. Hmm" Jack tapped his chin pensively. His eyes fell on Dojo "How much fire can you breathe before you run out?" he asked.

Dojo thought about this "About six mouthfuls. After that I need time for my body-fuel to regenerate" he answered.

"How long does that take?"

"Twelve hours, give or take"

Jack nodded "Then that is what we have to do. Get it to run out of fire-power, and then we'll capture it"

"Are you volunteering?" Kimiko asked. Jack gave her a blank look. "What, you think I can deflect those fire balls indefinitely? I have limits too Jack"

"Oh" he said. Clearly the notion hadn't occurred to him. "Well, um… do you think you can do this?" he asked tentatively.

Kimiko gave a small sigh "Lucky for you, I brought my Wudai with me, which should give me a power boost. So yes, I think I can manage. Nevertheless I need you two to stand a good distance back, just in case" she warned.

Jack frowned "If you think I'll let you waltz in there to get yourself burned to a crisp, then you have another think coming" he told her seriously.

Kimiko felt her heart give a little flutter at his words; she smiled "Not exactly what I had in mind. I was thinking you should stay back in case some deflected flames should come your way. But I am touched by the care you show for me"

Jack blushed, and hoped that she couldn't tell with the monochrome vision "Of course I'm concerned. Can you imagine what future awaits me, if I come out of this cave without you?" he spluttered. Jack groaned internally, for the umpteenth time he wished he'd bitten his tongue off before letting out such a self-destructive string of words.

Kimiko's eyes hardened. "I see" she said, her tone brisk, devoid of previous emotions "Then, for your sake, I'll make sure I come out, shall I?" she said coldly.

Jack's eyes widened "No. I mean yes. I mean… look, that didn't come out right. I didn't m-" he stuttered desperately.

"Just shut up Jack, and figure out which way we should go" Kimiko said in a flat voice.

Jack stole a sideway look at Kimiko, walking alongside him. She hadn't said anything to him after that final exchange. He felt miserable about it. Dojo spared him a pitying glance.

They found that there was only one other exit from the cavern, and so had assumed that that was where the Salamander had escaped through. This damned mountain is like a bee-hive, Jack thought, as they traversed yet another narrow stone tunnel, it's a wonder it's still standing with its base looking like Swiss cheese.

They came to a halt as the tunnel forked into two different directions. There was no way of telling which way the Salamander might have gone, and choosing the wrong one would only get them more lost than they already were. "I guess we'll have to split up" Jack told the others. His suggestion was met by silence. He sighed "Dojo you should shift to your large form – the corridors should be wide enough- and take the right hand tunnel, Kimiko and I will go down the left one"

This was met by resistance "Or I could go with Kimiko, and you could carry on by yourself" Dojo said from his perch on Kimiko's shoulder. The dragon's personal opinion was that Jack was simply to big of a coward to carry on by himself.

Jack shook his head "You breathe fire, Kimiko manipulates it. Me? I'll just be fuel for it" he explained. Dojo felt a little smug.

"Fine" Kimiko said abruptly, cutting off a potential argument "Let's hurry up, I don't think the Salamander is going to wait for us"

Dojo gave an offended harrumph and hopped down. He slithered towards the right hand tunnel, growing larger as he went. "Wait" Jack called. Dojo's massive head turned to regard him – his expression was distinctly unfriendly. Jack prudently ignored this and held up something for the dragon "Take this, it's a transmitter, in case we need to get in touch with you. It also has a tracker incorporated so we can find each other. And this is a strap to tie it around your wrist". Dojo extended a talon and Jack gingerly secured the transmitter; he was still anxious around Dojo in his huge form. When the tip of the dragon's tail disappeared into the tunnel Jack and Kimiko hurried down their own.

Jack was aware of the tension between himself and Kimiko, and felt he had to say something to diffuse it "You know, I imagined there might be some difficulties in retrieving the Salamander, this was not among them. I mean how often does a statue come to life?"

Kimiko shrugged "Twice now" she answered shortly. She felt she was behaving childishly, but couldn't seem to help herself. She was grateful when Jack fell quiet, she didn't feel like talking.

* * *

They kept going, progress becoming a little slow as they were forced to pick their way carefully, the tunnel floor and ceiling, were riddled with sharp jagged fragments of rock and hanging stalactites. They had to squeeze through a narrow opening to leave the tunnel. The cave they found themselves in was nothing like the previous two. The walls were rough, sharp rocks stuck out from floor and walls. The floor itself was uneven and broke off suddenly into a sheer cliff. The wall opposite presented several openings. Jack cursed loudly "What now? It could have gone down any of those!"

"I don't think you have to worry about that right now" Kimiko told him, slowly walking forward. Apparently the Salamander was tired of running. It stood waiting for them, anger radiating off of it, its large eyes seemed to be aglow with fury. Kimiko positioned herself so that she was standing directly in front of Jack, minimizing the chance of him getting used as a human torch. Kimiko pulled out the Arrow Sparrow and braced herself.

She didn't have to wait long. A ball of flame came sizzling her way. She deflected it easily and two more after that. Kimiko counted off the blasts, three more left to go. Jack was calling out encouragements; she resisted the impulse to roll her eyes. The fourth blast was ridiculously powerful; Kimiko felt her knees almost buckle under the pressure. Jack yelled something, but she didn't hear it, the effort to push the fire away requiring all her concentration.

Jack cried out when he saw Kimiko bend under the Salamander's fire. He resisted the uncharacteristic impulse to rush forward, knowing he would only get in her way. He was relieved to see her deflect the blast.

Kimiko struggled to regulate her breathing. She didn't like the way the blasts were getting stronger instead of weaker, it was like the Salamander was just getting started, it was unnerving. She saw the little body expanding and readied herself for the next blow.

This time it was different. Instead of the familiar ball of flame, a column of fire came towards her. She lifted the Wudai to intercept it. The impact pushed her back, her feet skidding on the rocky floor. Fire went flying in every direction, forcing Jack to run out of its way a couple of times.

Kimiko gritted her teeth against the pressure. She sent forward her own burst of fire to counter the Salamanders flame. For a moment it seemed to work. Then something changed. The pressure disappeared, instead came an unexpected pull, like her fire was being sucked out. Her eyes widened in surprise. The Salamander's flame seemed to have become somehow lighter more luminous, and it rushed over hers, consuming it. Kimiko tried to break free, but wasn't quick enough. Roaring flame enveloped her, she instinctively raised her arms to shield her head. It was with understandable shock that she realized the flames weren't burning her. She looked up. That's when it happened. A horrible cold gripped her, forcefully sucking the air out of her lungs, biting at her skin like millions of needles, chilling her to the bone and freezing the blood in her veins. She heard it then, the sound of her heart stopping –a loud thump that reverberated in her ears and then silence. Kimiko only had time to gasp, before her knees gave way and she fell forward to the floor.

Jack watched with horror as the Salamander's flame changed and swallowed Kimiko's. He yelled for her to run, but she didn't make it. Fire surrounded her, but it didn't seem to burn her, Kimiko looked as shocked as he felt. When he saw her body jerk and stiffen, Jack didn't hesitate. He yanked out the gun from inside his coat, and shot it at the lizard. The shots missed, but they did have the desired effect. Startled the Salamander broke off the fire and ran off towards one of the exits.

Holstering the gun, Jack ran to Kimiko's fallen figure. His heart threatened to break out of his chest as he kneeled over her. He pushed her onto her back and moved to take her pulse. He almost pulled back in surprise when he came in contact with her skin. Kimiko was as cold as marble. He gasped when he didn't feel a pulse. "Oh no" he breathed "no no no no" he muttered panicking "Oh God Kimiko"

Incoherent thoughts chased themselves around in his mind. As strange as it sounded, Kimiko seemed to be dying of hypothermia, the shock of the cold having stopped her heart. His mind blanked, a single thought remaining, he had to start her heart beating. His body reacted, he pinched her nose and breathed into her mouth until he felt her chest rise, he repeated the action twice, then brought his ear to Kimiko's mouth, to listen for the sound of breathing. When no breath came he brought his hands together and placing them over her chest he began to push down on it. When she still didn't breathe Jack felt numbing cold fear spreading through his body. In a fever he repeated the procedure, willing her heart to start beating "please please please" he whispered over and over as he pumped on her chest.

When Kimiko gasped for air, Jack felt the most intense wave of relief wash over him, he felt almost limp with it. However he didn't have time to indulge. He picked Kimiko's violently shaking body up and carried her to the nearest wall, he dropped down leaning his back against it, with her in his lap. He had to get her warm. Jack shrugged off his coat and covered her with it, then he wrapped himself around her, as best he could tucking her head under his chin. He knew the best way to get her body warm was from inside out, but he had no warm liquids to give her to drink. With alarm he saw her eyes fluttering shut. "Oh no. No, no, Kimiko, baby, you have stay with me, stay with me. Don't fall asleep, you can't fall asleep" He whispered vehemently, giving her a little shake. Kimiko's eyes shot open, they were red rimmed and bruised, the whiteness of her skin only accented this. She looked like she was trying to speak, her blue lips were moving silently.

"Shh… don't speak" he told her gently, rocking back and forward, forcing his hands to keep still, he wanted to rub warmth into her but knew that doing so would possibly kill her."You'll be ok, you'll be fine, don't be afraid, I'll take care of you" he said reassuringly. She looked so small and fragile it hurt him. Suddenly inspiration struck him. He pulled out the transmitter and jammed his finger on the talk button "Dojo! Dojo!" he called urgently. A grumpy voice answered from the other end "Dojo you have to get here now! Don't talk! Just listen. Kimiko's in trouble, you need to hurry. Just follow the signal to here" saying that he snapped the device off.

He started talking to Kimiko, to keep her from slipping into unconsciousness. Pointless yammering on any topic that crossed his mind at the time. Kimiko kept her eyes focused on Jack's face. Somewhere in her confused and dizzy mind she knew she had to stay awake. Jack swam in and out of focus, but his voice rang clear in her ears, she did not know what he was talking about, but it felt like the only thing anchoring her to reality.

The sound of rushing air caught Jack's attention, he looked up at one of the cave entrances in time to see Dojo burst through. The dragon came to a stop, hovering over them, looking bigger and fiercer than ever before. Jack quashed his impulse to run for cover. Dojo's eyes took in Kimiko's state and the fact that she was cradled in Jack's arms "What happened?" he boomed.

"I'll get to that in a minute" Jack said quickly "Now stop hovering threateningly and listen to me. I want you to breathe warm air over Kimiko"

Dojo gave him a dubious look. Jack rolled his eyes in exasperation "She's hypothermic!" he exclaimed gesturing at Kimiko. Resenting having Jack ordering him around, Dojo submitted. He settled down on the rock floor and breathed a cloud of warm air over the two humans. Jack couldn't help the disgusted grimace off his face; to put it lightly, Dojo's breath did not smell like roses.

Jack turned his attention back to Kimiko. She seemed to be shaking less violently now, and a tinge of color seemed to return to her skin. Jack breathed a sigh of relief, he rested his cheek on her forehead and was happy to feel that it wasn't as cold. "You really scared me babe" he told her softly "Don't ever do that again". A faint sound came from her and he realized it was a snort. He pulled his head up to look at her "What?"

"Y-y-you'd-d b-be in so m-much t-trouble if I d-died in h-h-here" Kimiko managed to say between chattering teeth.

Jack scowled at her. That wasn't true. Until she'd said it, the thought hadn't occurred to him "Don't say that. I wasn't worried for myself" he told her, sounding harsher than he had intended "I was terrified that I might loose you" he said feelingly "I dare say, I've become quite attached to you"

Kimiko's eyes widened slightly. If she'd have had blood to spare she was sure she would have been blushing horribly. "Thank you" she breathed.

Jack smirked "You should thank Dojo here as well. Even if he could use a few dozen packs of breath fresheners" –Dojo gave a threatening growl.

The danger averted, Jack found his mind wandering. He didn't quite like the direction his thoughts were taking. He felt guilt rear up its ugly head, it gnawed at his conscience. He'd put Kimiko in danger, real life-threatening danger; he felt chilled only remembering it. He owed her the truth. Even so, it felt wrong to tell her when she was like this. On the other hand it might actually help her warm up. And at least he had a chance of walking away in one piece after saying it. His shoulders slumped "I need to tell you something"

Kimiko watched as Jack's expression flickered. He seemed to be trying to make a decision. His mouth opened and closed without a sound. When he finally spoke up Kimiko knew something bad was coming, she watched him apprehensively.

"I lied to you" Jack said quietly, looking away. Kimiko lay quietly in his arms. He risked a look at her, her expression was unreadable. Jack found the stretching silence unbearable so he forced himself to continue "I'm not a treasure hunter" he said, his eyes flickering to and away from her face "I'm a scientist an inventor. The reason I went on this mission, was because Kersh promised me the funding I need to continue my research and development" he flinched at her accusing stare "It's very expensive… and I couldn't find a willing sponsor…" he trailed off.

"Shut up" Kimiko whispered hoarsely "I don't need your explanations." Jack stared at her as if she'd just slapped him "You lied to me. You shouldn't have. How dare you ask me to trust you when-" she had to stop, as a coughing fit seized her. Jack stared miserably down at Kimiko, his hold on her tightening unconsciously.

"I'm sorry" he said when she'd calmed down "I didn't think you'd help me if I told you this was my first time. Or that you would believe me when I told you what I was going to use the money for. Or that if you did believe me, you'd help me" he said quietly, plaintively.

Even pale and weak as she was Kimiko still managed a skeptical look "Because a job as a treasure hunter is so much more believable"

Jack gave a short self-mocking laugh.

"Why should I believe anything you say?" she demanded.

"But I told you the truth. When I had no reason to do so. There is no win in it for me"

"Yes, but you waited until I was too helpless to do anything about it"

Jack perked a little at her tone, it didn't sound too angry, only a little sardonic. He sighed heavily "I've always been a coward" he said "That should come as no surprise to you. Heck, if it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't even have made it up to here" he said truthfully.

Kimiko quirked a disbelieving eyebrow "So you've brought me along for moral support?"

Jack smirked "Something like that, yeah"

Kimiko frowned. Leave it to Jack to mess things up thoroughly. She admitted to herself that Jack was probably right. If he'd have told her that this was his first treasure hunt, she would not have taken him seriously. That aside, what did he need the funding for? She asked him.

Jack blinked, thrown off by the sudden turn of the conversation, he looked away, seemingly embarrassed. "You probably won't believe me" he said meekly.

Kimiko lifted her eyebrows "Try me"

"It's medical research" he said quietly.

It was Kimiko's turn to blink "Medical? You?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah…prosthetics" Jack muttered.

Kimiko was genuinely surprised, but she found she actually believed him. "Robots" she said. Jack snapped his head around to stare at her in shock. "You were making robots before. You're using that technology to make artificial limbs and… are you being honest?"

"Y-es?" Jack said tentatively. He was a bit unsure as to where this was going.

Kimiko shook her head slightly "Jack that's … wow" she exclaimed as well as her hoarse voice allowed her to.

Jack looked pleasantly surprised by her positive reaction "Thanks, I guess"

"Why didn't you tell me this before? I was more likely to help you if I knew it was for a cause like this instead of something like 'treasure hunting'"

Jack looked sheepish "I figured… well, treasure hunting sounded more exciting… and what were the chances you would believe I would actually do something for the good of mankind?"

"Slim, very slim" she admitted a smile tugging at her lips. A companionable silence settled, disturbed only by Dojo's loud breathing. Kimiko relaxed against Jack's chest. There were a few more questions that needed answers but she felt so tired, so very tired.

Jack listened to Kimiko's breathing, it was becoming slow and regular. He smiled fondly, it was safe enough to allow her to sleep now, poor thing had to be exhausted. He settled back against the wall, getting as comfortable as he could, he tried to shift his legs discretely –they were falling asleep. His attention turned to Kimiko, she mumbled something. "Mm?" he intoned, twisting his head to look at her.

"You're wrong" she said, her voice heavy with sleep. Jack watched her curiously. "You're not a coward. Not to me"

Jack's eyes widened. The feelings her words stirred inside him were beyond words. It was a good thing he was already on the floor, because news like that, coming so suddenly, tended to rob a man of his ability to stand. Discomfort forgotten, he sat on the rocky, cold, stone floor, surrounded by sulfurous smelling air, with his legs asleep smiling foolishly.

Dojo rolled his eyes expressively.

888

OMG JACK HAS A GUN?? Mmmm yeah. Surprised? Oh I do hope so!

Read and review people.


	15. Chapter 14 Bloody kisses

Aha-ahaha-ha…ha… Finally! I updated!

I struggled so much with the beginning of this chapter and I've no idea why, it wasn't even that important a scene. Meh.

Thank you to my wonderfully patient reviewers: Badkidoh, Shadir, Rebel Sorceress, Bishieluver01, Halfhuman123, Wolfinson and Ktsmi15 (you're right that was a mouthful :D)

Bishieluver01 and Rebel Sorceress your reviews made me grin so much I gave myself a headache. You guys really made me happy *hugsallaround*

Halfhuman123: you shouldn't have said that. See what you made me do? I've put off writing this for a month lol but really, thank you for your patience

So I hope you're all going to enjoy the latest installment, I'm pretty anxious about this one

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue… I'm poor….it's not like you could make a profit anyway *sigh*

888

* * *

Chapter 14 – Bloody kisses

* * *

Kimiko stirred into wakefulness. She blinked groggily, frowning in confusion at her surroundings. Her room had never had rock formations hanging from its ceiling. Her moment of confusion was overcome as memory returned and she came fully awake. A pressure on her midriff caused her to look down. An arm was wrapped securely around her waist. Kimiko turned her head around slowly, her nose brushed against warm fabric; looking up she found herself looking into Jack Spicer's face. He was sound asleep. 'Oh' she thought.

Looking past the sleeping man, Kimiko saw that he was reclining against Dojo's scaly back. The dragon was curled up around them; his reptilian nose was blowing warm air over them with each breath. He too was asleep.

Not knowing what else to do and not wishing to disturb the pair, Kimiko relaxed back against her would be pillow. Jack muttered something in his sleep, and his grip on her waist tightened slightly. Kimiko found herself smiling, she felt warm and comfortable, if a little thirsty and hungry. A few dozen problems waited to be addressed, she knew, but they could wait.

Kimiko shifted her position slightly to get a better look at Jack's face. Her smile widened, Jack looked cute asleep, his lips were parted slightly, and his head was lolling on one shoulder, his goggles had come askew allowing his red hair to fall over his forehead. Kimiko took her time examining his face. It was sharper and more angular than it had been when they were younger, his nose was just as pointy though. Kimiko wondered absently what brand of eyeliner he used to draw the lines under his eyes, it was extremely resilient. She had to stifle a chuckle at the utter randomness of the thought.

Kimiko noticed that Jack didn't look particularly comfortable, there was a crease between his eyebrows and the corners of his lips were pulled down in a half-grimace. Guiltily she realized it was most likely because of her, her weight was probably cutting off the blood flow to his legs. She really should get up, Kimiko thought, not moving.

Jack the hero, she mused. It sounded like such an absurd notion, and years ago she would have shunned it completely, and yet she was alive now thanks to him; he'd gotten her still heart to beat; Kimiko shivered uncomfortably at the thought.

She remembered now that Jack had volunteered to go down possibly collapsing stairs, through a narrow tunnel, rather than allowing her to go first. She felt a warm surge of gratitude, respect and affection for him. It was true that he had lied to her, but it sounded like such a silly lie when put up against his 'good deeds'. And of course, Kimiko thought rolling her eyes, he would think 'it sounded more interesting' was a perfectly good reason to lie, she sighed resignedly. Jack was a compulsive liar. Kimiko wondered why she wasn't more bothered by this.

Jack's lips turned down in a sudden grimace. Kimiko had enough time to wonder if she should feign sleep, when she was suddenly and unexpectedly jolted forward.

The first thing Jack became aware of upon waking was the lack of feeling in his lower extremities. Alarmed, he tried to get up and found something was preventing him from doing so. His eyes snapped open and he found Kimiko glaring accusingly at him. Jack blinked uncomprehendingly at her before realizing she was probably the reason he couldn't get up. Upon reflection, he didn't find this completely objectionable.

Jack settled back against the dragons' warm body. Strange how despite being an overgrown lizard, Dojo's body was actually warm –it had something to do with him breathing fire, Jack surmised. He watched Kimiko from half lidded eyes "Hello" he greeted her casually.

One of Kimiko's eyebrows shot up and she quirked a smile "Hi"

Jack was surprised she hadn't shot up and off of him. He took it as a god sign that she was still there –she was still covered in his cloak, he noted. He wanted to say something, but couldn't quite think of anything appropriate. He was saved the trouble when looking guilty, Kimiko slipped out of his arms "Do you think you can still walk?" she asked.

Jack looked down at his legs. He willed a toe to twitch. After a few tries he was relieved to feel his toes curl in response. The pins and needles that followed confirmed it "Yeah, eventually" He turned his attention back to Kimiko "How about you? Are you feeling okay?" he asked with genuine concern. It had occurred to him that maybe she hadn't moved because she couldn't. IT was an alarming notion.

Kimiko smiled reassuringly "A little hungry, but otherwise I'm fine. I have you to thank for that"

Jack looked a little embarrassed, he lifted a hand to the back of his neck "So…you're not angry with me?" he asked hopefully.

Kimiko rolled her eyes "Don't think you're completely off the hook for lying to me. But no, I'm not angry. I do have some questions for you"

Jack groaned pathetically "Oh babe, it's too early for that" he whined.

Kimiko raised her eyebrows "Early? What makes you say that? It could be midday"

Jack shrugged, flexing his legs "I mean, we just woke up. How about we start interrogations after breakfast?" he suggested.

"Breakfast? Oh that's right, you insisted we bring some supplies with us"

"And aren't you happy you listened to me?" Jack said looking smug.

Kimiko smiled in genuine amusement "You know, for it being your first time, you're really good at this treasure hunting"

Jack snorted "That's because I'm being overly paranoid about every single thing. You've no idea what panic attacks I went through when I couldn't answer any one of your questions. I was so sure you would realize I was making things up as I went along."

"I will say this. You certainly made your homework. If you didn't come clean I might have never guessed this was your first hunt" she hid a smile at Jack's blush of pleasure.

"People? Focus. Breakfast" a voce suddenly rumbled. They both looked round to find Dojo watching them impatiently.

Kimiko grinned at the giant head "Well you should shift sizes if you're so eager, there's no way we can feed that big maw of yours"

Obediently Dojo reduced his size. The sudden disappearance of his large scaly recliner sent Jack flat on his back. He gave a surprised oomph as his back hit the floor. He lay there staring at the cavern ceiling, his mouth in a pout "That was thoughtful of you" he muttered gloomily. A moment of silence passed "Um… I don't think I can get up" he admitted.

Kimiko offered her hand; Jack gave it a speculative look before taking it. After a bit of a struggle and a couple of false starts Kimiko managed to get Jack on his feet, shaky as they were. Kimiko watched him stretch out; he looked somehow naked without his long billowing coat. Something else caught her attention though, her eyebrows shot up "Is that a gun?" she demanded.

Jack gave her a blank disbelieving, a blush slowly creeping to his face. What was she saying? "Wha- Wh- " he blustered before realization dawned on him "Oh!" he exclaimed with unjustified relief "You meant this!" he said pointing at the gun strapped to his chest. Realizing how moronic he must have sounded, Jack turned beet red "Yes?" he replied hesitantly. In all honesty, Jack felt like slapping himself. What was wrong with him? As if Kimiko would ever use that kind of lame pick-up line.

Kimiko lifted an eyebrow at Jack's puzzling behavior, she shrugged "Is that such a good idea? You carrying a gun around?"

Jack glared "Oh stop, you're making me blush" he muttered stonily, hoping she didn't see that he was actually blushing. Of course she wouldn't remember me shooting the gun, Jack thought privately, and he wasn't going to tell her about it.

Jack stooped to retrieve his backpack. From inside he produced muesli bars, crackers, and an apple for each of them. Dojo and Kimiko stared dispassionately at the pile. "I wasn't really expecting we'd need these" Jack said defensively and set a bottle of water on the ground next to the meager provisions. With some trepidation he managed to fold his legs under him as he sat down.

Kimiko joined him, tucking the long black cloak securely around her. As they ate Kimiko noticed Jack was darting furtive glances at her "You can stop doing that" she told him the eleventh time she caught him staring at her.

"Stop what?" Jack asked innocently.

Kimiko sighed "I'm not going to keel over and die" she assured him.

"Sorry, I can't help it. You're recovering from hypothermia; I have to keep you under observation. Besides, I'm still feeling a little edgy, you gave me quite a scare" Jack confessed.

Kimiko smiled, touched despite herself. Discretely she gave herself a physical examination, she did feel a little winded and had definitely seen better days, but her legs held her and her muscles and coordination seemed to be working properly. She definitely fared better than most while recovering from heart failure. Her memory and mental faculties were also in proper working order. That only left one thing. Tentatively she called upon her inner fire and was relieve to feel it answering, if weakly. Kimiko had feared that the Salamander's strange flame had managed to completely quell her power. She couldn't stop the relieved sigh escaping her lips.

Jack looked up curiously at her. Kimiko just waved him off, gesturing for him to mind his apple. Jack reluctantly returned to his meal, taking a sulky bite out of the fruit.

"Wanna trade?" he asked suddenly, holding the apple up "My apple for six of your crackers"

Kimiko gave him a flat look "You should have thought of that before taking a bite out of it though" she told him, pointedly looking at the missing chunk "I don't deal with damaged goods"

Jack pouted and took another resigned bite of apple. He chewed on it thoughtfully "What now?" he asked aloud.

Kimiko raised her eyebrows "You're asking me? I thought you had all the answers" she pointed out.

"Hardly, and now that I don't have to worry about you finding out I'm not exactly a pro at this, I can indulge in some helplessness and cluelessness. You can't imagine how liberating it feels" Jack said.

Kimiko snorted aloud at the ridiculous statement. If there was one thing she hated it was loosing control over a situation -which she seemed to be in the process of doing ever since they had descended into the tunnels.

"Well" she said in an effort to grasp, what she perceived as, a rapidly deteriorating situation "we have to find the Salamander. God only knows where it lost itself in this damned maze"

Jack gave her a disbelieving look "You're kidding? You want to go looking for it? Now? In your current state? After what happened?" he demanded.

Kimiko glared at him "I can handle it" she stated, squaring her jaw.

Jack resisted the urge to roll his eyes, when Kimiko got like that it was pointless trying to argue with her, still, he couldn't let her recklessly waltz into danger "And what do you suggest? We start looking down every tunnel, every cave, every nook and cranny, leave no pebble left unturned?" he asked sarcastically, and felt gratified when he saw her bite her lip in consternation "Charging around wildly won't help. And anyway, we have to find a better way to engage the thing, you were practically snuffed out like a candle last time, I won't have another incident like that." Jack finished sounding harsher than he'd intended.

Kimiko looked away, embarrassed, "Fine. What do you want to do?" she asked a little sulkily.

Jack tapped his chin thoughtfully, absently tossing his apple pit to an eager Dojo "I think we need to regroup. That is to say get out of this stinking, suffocating hole and find a nice place to sit and think" his eyes brightened as a thought occurred "We can get a nice three digit number of spybots down here to find the lizard for us, and while we're waiting maybe we can figure out a way to actually catch it"

Kimiko ran this through her head, it was reasonable, not to mention sensible. Slowly she nodded "But how do we get out? I for one have no idea where we are. These caves and tunnels look identical to me"

Jack grinned "Same here. Knowing something like this might happen I took precautions" reaching over to a surprised Kimiko, he pulled a small spherical robot, from one of the pockets of his cloak, which he then held up for inspection "From the moment we came down, I've had a spybot on me monitoring and mapping down our progress. And though it won't help find the Salamander at least we won't rot down here. We just have to follow it back to where we came from"

Jack felt himself swell with pride at the impressed look Kimiko gave him "Useful little things aren't they?" he said giving the robot a fond pat.

"You know, Jack, I'm actually kind of relieved we're on the same side" Kimiko said shaking her head slightly.

Jack snorted "Hmph. Like I could ever hurt you" he declared.

Kimiko blinked at his remark, what exactly did he mean by that? She didn't have time to ponder on it as Jack's next words pierced through her train of thought.

"I just hope all this being tossed about hasn't busted any of its circuits" he said trying to sound unconcerned. "That would suck" he added, as if for clarification.

Kimiko felt a muscle under one eye beginning to spasm "Jack. I'll pretend you did not just say that" Pinching the bridge of her nose she waved him on with her free hand "Just get going"

Jack complied quickly and heaved a sigh of relief as the little robot emitted a series of beeps and hovered in the air over his palm "It works!" he said happily before the expression slowly slid off his face.

Kimiko knew it was coming and resisted the urge to slap herself.

"Of course, there's still the change that it's circuits have been messed up, leaving it operative but with a faulty memory, and as such following it will result in simply getting ourselves more lost" he stated without pausing for breath.

Kimiko sorted through his convoluted phrase and as its meaning became clear she found she was not disappointed. Would the man never cease with these ups and downs? Bloody emotional rollercoaster, she thought darkly. "Jack…" Kimiko growled warningly.

Jack quickly spread his hands out in a pacifying gesture "Right. Right, there's no such thing as 'more lost'. Let's be optimistic!" he said with forced cheerfulness "I'll just go now, ok?" he added hurriedly, encountering Kimiko's uncompromising glare.

* * *

The three of them followed behind the little robot, walking at a comfortable pace. To Kimiko's annoyance Jack was still fussing over her like a mother hen. He had even thrown a fit when Kimiko had offered to carry Dojo on her shoulder-as such, Dojo was now seated unhappily on Jack's stiff shoulder. He was walking tensely, ready to spring and catch her should her frail legs give way, Kimiko was sure. Wrathfully, she hoped he would trip on his coat.

Progress was slow and Kimiko was amazed at how much ground they'd managed to cover while chasing after the Salamander. To her annoyance she found her breath was becoming more and more labored.

Jack, ever vigilant when it came to Kimiko, noticed how the girl was beginning to drag her feet, as much as she tried to hide it. It was unsurprising considering what she'd been through only hours prior. Really, he thought, she should have more sense. He stopped abruptly.

Kimiko turned to look at Jack's suddenly still form in surprise "What is it?" she whispered, thinking some danger might be lurking about unseen.

Jack fixed her with a level look "I'm tired" he said flatly "Let's stop and rest"

The vehemence in his voice was ridiculous "O-kay?" she said uncertainly. She cast about for the spybot, only to find it obediently hovering by Jack's elbow. It was only after they settled down to rest that it occurred to Kimiko that Jack had stopped on her account. She didn't know whether to be annoyed or flattered. Though she wouldn't admit it, she was glad for the rest, she felt uncommonly tired. And as long as they were resting, Kimiko thought she might as well dig for some answers.

"Jack?" she said suddenly.

"Hm?"

"You said you were doing medical research, prosthetics. How did that come about?" Kimiko was honestly curious about that, it sounded so far fetched.

Jack's features turned pensive for a moment, then he shrugged "I've always liked building robots, I figured I might as well do something useful with them"

Kimiko frowned "I get that, but, I mean, there's millions of fields you could have applied your skills to, why medical?"

Jack turned a strange appraising look on her "I suppose you could say I've had a bit of a change of perspective during my years away" he told her slowly. This was true, he thought to himself. For some reason he couldn't get himself to tell her the whole truth.

Kimiko nodded, accepting the explanation, she supposed all that therapy would open anyone's eyes to humanity's needs. "It's strange. See, I've always imagined you'd be in the military department. Building weapons of mass destruction and such" she said.

Jack smirked "I'm not surprised. My younger self would have agreed with you. But I guess after being on the 'dark' side and then converting to the good you turn a little sour towards the whole 'rule the world'-gig. It's like, if I'm not ruling it, no one else should either" he explained and was rewarded with light giggling from Kimiko.

Kimiko was amused at all the insight she was getting from Jack. He had a very unique way of viewing the world, she couldn't help but be entertained. She was about to question him further when a strange noise distracted her. "Do you hear that?" she asked aloud.

Jack blinked, straining to hear. He frowned in confusion, then his expression cleared "It's like some sort of keening. Strange, why would- Wh-? Wait! Where are you going?" he exclaimed, getting up to follow the departing Kimiko. He grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop "What do you think you're doing?" he hissed angrily.

Kimiko yanked her hand free of his grip and glared at the red head "We have to see what's making that sound! What if it's the Salamander?"

Jack threw his hands out in exasperation "Exactly! If it is the Salamander what are you going to do?"

Kimiko gave him a final glare, before turning around and walking in the direction of the sound, much to Jack's consternation "I'm not going to engage it in battle, I'm just going to see if it _**is**_ the Salamander"

Reluctantly Jack followed the girl as she hid behind a large stalagmite.

Cautiously Kimiko peered around the large rock formation. She gasped at the sight that greeted her. There was a child sitting in the middle of the rocky platform, hugging its knees and rocking slowly back and fourth. Kimiko recognized it as the source of the sound, the child was crying.

Her eyes glazed over. Not stopping to think, she walked around the stalagmite and towards the child, meaning to comfort it.

The child looked up at her approach, wide eyes taking her in. It extended a hand towards her. Recklessly Kimiko reached out with her own. She gasped when she was suddenly seized by the wrist of her other hand and slung backwards. The force of the pull almost sent her staggering; she had to struggled to keep her footing. "Stay away from it" said a harsh voice.

Kimiko glared at her assailant "What the hell are you doing Jack?" she demanded angrily. Jack had positioned himself between herself and the child and was now staring menacingly at the startled little thing. Dojo on his shoulders was sitting up in a rigid arch, looking distinctly threatening.

"Me?" he hissed over his shoulder, not taking his eyes of the child "What are you doing? Rushing out like that! Did you even bother to think?" he demanded.

Kimiko's eyes widened in surprise. She'd never seen Jack this angry. His anger only served to rile her further "Get out of my way. The child is lost!" she said meaning to walk past him.

Jack extended an arm effectively blocking her passage "The child? For God's sake Kimiko, think for a moment. What would a child be doing under a damned volcano? How would it even get here?"

Her eyes cleared, Kimiko blinked, he was right of course- what had she been doing? - "What is it then?" she asked, now peering cautiously around Jack at the creature. It certainly looked like a human child.

Jack gave a short laugh "That I believe, is the very object of our search" he said dryly.

Kimiko gasped at him "The salamander? How could it be?" this whole mission was turning weirder and weirder with every step.

"I'm starting to think all those myths and legends weren't that far off the mark" Jack said, his voice clipped "A shape-shifter, huh?" he said, almost to himself "And just as poisonous as ever I'll bet"

Kimiko stared in disbelief from Jack to the child. The claim sounded ridiculous, and had she not encountered stranger things she would have brushed it off completely. After all, Dojo himself could change shape.

The child's face contorted weirdly. Its eyes grew impossibly wide, and its mouth stretched out into an insane looking grin, giving it a distinctly reptilian appearance. It was then that Kimiko noticed the strangely shaped spots on its hairless body, star-shaped. Suddenly it wasn't so hard to believe that that was the Salamander.

"I don't understand. If it's the Salamander, why would it come out like this? Why isn't it hiding?" Kimiko asked, unnerved by the ugly creature.

"I'm getting the feeling its quite territorial. Also, I don't think it likes us very much" Jack said, a snort and a puff of smoke from Dojo greeted his speculation.

It was trying to poison her, Kimiko realized. This made her angry. The fact that she couldn't do anything about it enraged her further. Not only did her powers not work against the wretched thing, but at the moment they were so weak she probably couldn't produce a spark. Alarm shot through her as she realized she did not know where her Wudai was. Had she lost it?

She was startled out of her panic attack by the sound of a gunshot. Kimiko's eyes snapped immediately to Jack who was aiming the gun at the retreating creature. "Are you trying to kill it?" she cried shrilly.

"Not if I can help it. Just trying to scare it away" Jack answered, before shooting again. The bullet ricochet of the stone floor sending sparks flying.

The Salamander darted bacwards. It was strange how it wasn't actually running away, Kimiko thought, it was just evading. Almost like it was leading them along.

"Jack…" she started to form a warning. Her words died in her throat, when the humanoid face swelled out to absurd proportions, the cheeks blowing out horribly. Instantly she knew what was coming, she grabbed hold of one of Jack's arms even as fire erupted from the creature's impossibly wide mouth.

Jack staggered back, but it was too late to run with the column of fire fast approaching. Desperately Kimiko reached in, to whatever spark of power remained in her, and luckily for the three of them it was just enough to keep the searing heat away from their skins. Unfortunately it did nothing to stop the oncoming blast. They were swept off their feet by the sheer force of it and hurled violently towards the rough cavern wall.

Jack twisted around, keeping his body between the wall and the girl, and braced his right arm out to absorb the impact. Pain shot through his arm at the collision, he heard a number of sickening cracks and the air left his lungs as the rest of his body made contact with the wall. He slid down in a crumpled heap, struggling to maintain consciousness.

Kimiko though horribly jarred and bruised by the impact had had the benefit of Jack's body for a shield, she straightened immediately and turned to look at Jack. Trembling violently she bent over his broken looking body, crying his name out desperately. A sound behind her made her look up. The salamander was walking towards them. Never in her life had Kimiko felt such terror. She stood over Jack's body protectively, breathing heavily and trying desperately to think around the choking panic.

Then suddenly her vision was obscured by a large scaly form. A deafening roar broke through the air, echoing off the stone walls. Dojo's huge form curled and twisted filling the space up from floor to ceiling. It snarled and snapped at the obviously terrified Salamander. It had probably never encountered a dragon before, and not knowing what to make of this giant adversary it fled away in fear. Dojo roared again, lashing with his huge jaws after the retreating figure.

Staring after the disappearing figure for a moment longer, making sure it was gone, Dojo turned his massive head around to his companions.

"Dojo!" Kimiko breathed with relief "Thank God". But her relief was short lived, as she suddenly remembered Jack. She looked down at his crumpled form, afraid to touch him, less she do more harm than good. Her eyes filled with tears without her noticing.

"Is he alive?" Dojo boomed, though he was trying to keep his voice low.

"Yes" Kimiko said shortly. It was hard to breathe. She didn't even remark upon Dojo's uncharacteristic concern towards the red head. She stared in morbid fascination at the small pool of blood that was collecting under the man.

"Jack?" she called out weakly. She felt relief when he stirred at the sound of her voice. Slowly, painfully, he turned to regard her. The side of his face was covered in scratches that bled freely, and one eye was closed and swollen. His breathing sounded haggard, and his arm and a good number of ribs were probably smashed. In spite of all this, Jack's lips twisted into a half smile "That… was bad" he declared.

Kimiko slumped in relief "You're insane" she told him, brushing at her eyes and unable to stop herself from smiling.

Jack tried to sit up, wincing at the attempt "You'd think after all that therapy, someone would have said something"

Ascertaining that the human would live, Dojo turned around to guard the entrance.

Laughing weakly, Kimiko helped him to a sitting position, leaning him against the wall. Almost reluctantly she looked down at his arm. She stared, her mouth hanging open. It was thoroughly smashed, but that wasn't why she was staring. Skin was peeled off and hung in shreds, but underneath, instead of muscle and bone was metal. Microchips and wires and metal casing, broken, bent, ripped and sparking were what made her still in surprise. Several things clicked into place then, and she understood suddenly where his interest for prosthetics stemmed from.

The blood, she was relieved to see, came from where the metal pieces had pierced his skin, and none of these wounds looked particularly life threatening, still, she would have to stop the bleeding. And he was still moving, which meant that perhaps he hadn't broken too many bones after all.

Jack looked up at her "Don't cry" he told her quietly "I'm fine. I mean I may have turned two ribs to powder, but other than that I'm just scratched and bruised, and badly jarred" he said reassuringly.

Kimiko kneeled next to him "Fine is it?" she said "You _**are**_ insane" she repeated, more firmly this time.

Jack looked down at himself, taking in his wretched state "I suppose I could do with some band-aids and such. Maybe some booze to take the edge off the sting" he commented wryly "There's some medical supplies in my pack" he gestured to the bag, a few feet from them.

Kimiko retrieved it and after some shuffling she found what she needed. Methodically she set to work. "I'll try and patch you up as well as I can, but you need to see a doctor as soon as possible" she told him, for the sake of conversation.

Jack winced at the sting of disinfectant "Can't argue with you on that"

"Why didn't you tell me about your arm?" Kimiko asked quietly, as she pressed the disinfectant imbibed piece of cotton to the torn flesh of his upper arm. His arm wasn't completely robotic; his shoulder and half of his upper arm were human.

Jack looked away "I don't like talking about it" he muttered.

Kimiko stared at him, her expression unreadable. Resuming her work she spoke again "Despite your love for these kinds of things… I never thought you'd go this far" she said quietly, her tone flat.

Jack's head snapped around to look at her, his expression confused at first, then angry "You think I did this because I wanted to?" he almost snarled at her.

Kimiko was startled by his sudden fury, her hands paused in her work, and she stood staring at the man, waiting for him to continue.

"Do you really think I would chop my own arm off, to replace it with some metal substitute?" Jack bit out "I would rather spend every morning drawing these things around my eyes than suffering the pain of having them tattooed there" he said pointing with his good hand to his eyes "I don't even have any piercings for God's sakes! That's how bad my aversion to pain is. Knowing that do you think I would willingly remove my own _**arm**_?"

Kimiko blinked, not knowing how to answer to that. What he said was true, but then… "Then how…how did you loose it?" she asked softly, resuming her work.

Jack's anger seemed to have ebbed a little, he relaxed back against the wall "I suppose something of the sort was inevitable. You don't build experimental robots and machines without having them explode in your face every now and then" as he spoke his gaze turned distant "One of those explosions was unfortunately bigger than the rest. The thing exploded sending shrapnel flying everywhere; I had the sense to turn away, it saved my life or so I am told. The shrapnel embedded itself in my arm, and pierced my side. And though they got the metal out, my hand was beyond salvation. After that, one thing led to another, and I built myself a new arm, thus triggering my interest in prosthetics" the words rushed out in quick succession "This was before my years of therapy. My father thought it was a suicide attempt" he finished bitterly.

Kimiko stared at him "Oh Jack, I'm so sorry" she said, her hand reached out to his cheek, in an attempt at comforting. Stiffening in surprise at first, Jack leaned his face into her touch.

"You couldn't have know" he said to reassure her. Her concern and sympathy sending warm waves of pleasure through his pain wracked body.

"What do we do with it?" Kimiko asked gesturing at the ruined robotic limb "Should I make a sling for it or something?"

Jack shook his head; painfully he turned until he managed to grip the useless member. Gritting his teeth at the searing pain, he gave it a sharp twist. The arm came off, leaving behind only a circular piece, about an inch thick, that must serve as connection between flesh and metal. Kimiko felt relieved that it hadn't come off completely, revealing bone and tissue.

Jack held his arm out to her, the robotic one "Just dump it in the bag" he told a sick looking Kimiko. She did so as quickly as humanly possible, ignoring the hanging ribbons of artificial skin. She turned back to the man and looked him over "I think you need to loose the shirt" she informed him.

Jack's eyebrows shot up "Wow. That was sudden. But do you really think now is the right time?" he asked keeping his face straight. As Kimiko's lips twisted in annoyance he decided to quietly comply. With some effort and then some help from Kimiko he managed to get the tattered piece of clothing off.

Stripped to his waist Jack felt uncomfortably naked before her. He never wanted her to see him like that. His bruised and bleeding body paired with the missing arm offered a grisly spectacle, he was certain. He gritted his teeth wishing she wouldn't look.

Kimiko examined his chest for injuries. There was some ugly bruising and the inevitable scratches, but no critical damage. Hopefully there wasn't any internal bleeding. She breathed out the breath she had been holding. Then something else caught her eye. She squinted. The side of his torso was spattered with small jagged pearly white scars. Shrapnel. Unable to stop she softly ran her fingers over them.

Jack stiffened, trying not to shiver at her touch. He searched her face for the disgust he knew must be there.

Kimiko met his gaze squarely. And Jack was surprised by the intensity in her eyes. Then, before he had time to react, Kimiko leaned forward, pressing her lips to his in a sudden breathless kiss. He froze, his mind going numb with shock, before his instincts took over. Butterflies fluttered madly in his stomach, and his heart was skipping so many beats, he had to wonder whether it was beating at all. And then he was kissing her back, all traces of self-consciousness gone.

Dojo with his serpentine back to them, pretended not to notice.

* * *

888

And there we are. At long last. After 14 friggin chapters and a prologue *drumrolls* _**THE KISS. **_

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on this chapter, so read and review, make a writer happy.


	16. Chapter 15 Stay

Here be update.

I'm sure there are so many mistakes in this thing, but I'm too tired and lazy to check and I have to wake up for school tomorrow so I'll do that later. I really hope its not as messed up as I'm imagining it to be.

As always, thank you people who reviewed, you know I love you guys.

GirlLoki – Jack still has half his upper arm, the rest was sadly beyond salvation.

Disclaimer – don't own, don't sue ---is there a point to writing this? I mean it _**is**_ a fanfiction site *shrug*

I'm guessing this will be the last chapter I post this year, unless I am gripped by a sudden urge to write during the holidays. I'm gonna wish you guys Happy Holidays just to be sure.

888

* * *

Chapter 15 - Stay

* * *

The kiss was a slow, gentle caress, almost innocent in its softness. The awareness to their surroundings faded as their lips moved in their sinuous dance. Kimiko felt the tickle of Jack's breath on her skin and reflexively parted her lips. She tasted blood.

The coppery taste wrenched her back into reality. She pulled away despite Jack's noise of protest. She sat back on her haunches, her eyes riveted to his face, as if searching for something.

Jack in turn froze in place. He watched her anxiously; he could never be sure with Kimiko, one moment she could be kissing him the next she could be throwing rocks at his head, accusing him of sexual harassment… and then she'd call him a misogynistic pig- this was an exaggeration, but the panicked frenzy inside his head didn't quite make for clear thinking. I should say something, he thought, but what should I say? What's the right thing to say? Should I say I'm sorry? But she kissed me! Should I compliment her on her kissing abilities? She'd probably slap me for that or something… And so his thoughts went on in a mad circle, while his outwards appearance was that of a startled rabbit.

And then she smiled. It was only a small smile, but to Jack it felt devastating and wonderful all at once. It also had the added plus of ending his mental crisis. He almost sagged with relief.

Oblivious to Jack's inner turmoil Kimiko had been doing some introspection of her own. When had it come to this, she wondered and realized that she wasn't at all surprised by the turn of events. What surprised her more was the lack of aversion she felt to it. The kiss had not felt at all wrong. Quite the opposite rather. Before she knew it a small smile had made its way to her lips.

Kimiko brought the hand holding the cotton swab to jack's face and gently dabbed at the blood with the soft material. Jack winced at the sting and tried to pull away.

Kimiko smirked in response "Oh come now, don't be such a wimp. You can stand being flattened against a wall, but can't take a little bit of disinfectant. That's so typical of you." she finished shaking her head in mock exasperation.

Jack pouted "I was just surprised" he mumbled and put up bravely with the assault on his face to prove his point.

Meanwhile, Kimiko's eyes drifted down to his battered body. She frowned in concern "Jack we need to get you to a doctor soon" she told him, her voice almost a plea.

Jack wondered at that. It wasn't like he was against the idea or anything. He told her so "If I could, I'd be running for the nearest hospital, but I don't know if I can sit upright, let alone charge up this mountain. Give me some time, I'll be up and about in a jiff-" he cut off with a sudden agonized groan, almost doubling in pain as he clutched at his right side.

Kimiko cried out in alarm "What is it? What hurts?" she asked desperately, foolishly.

Jack looked up gasping for air, his pale face ashen, he tried to smile achieving only a stiff grimace "That'd be a very long list" he paused for another gulp of air "Apart for a handful of places, all of which are too insignificant to matter, everything hurts" pause for breath "But it's manageable" he ended the sentence with a wince.

"Manageable…" she mouthed looking baffled, before her features morphed into a scowl "I can't believe I'm hearing this! What's that? Bravado?! Do you think now is the best time?" she yelled angrily.

Jack winced at the loud noise "At least I have your soothing shrieks to look forward to" he drawled.

"Oh don't you worry, you'll get plenty of that, just as soon as I get you mounted up on Dojo" Kimiko replied getting up.

"What?" cried both man and dragon, that one word suffused with so much shock and disgust that it made Kimiko pause for a moment.

She quickly recovered and firmly planted her hands on her hips "You heard me. That's the fastest way, if not the only one" Kimiko told the pair firmly.

"I'm touched and pleased by your concern babe, but there really is no need for such drastic measures" Jack pleaded; on her other side Dojo nodded vigorously.

Kimiko heaved a sigh and massaged her temples wearily, why did they both have to be such idiots? "Jack, I'm surprised you haven't bled to death yet. You're probably bleeding internally and you have bone powder instead of ribs, this has gone way past the arguing point"

Dojo turned his serpentine features into a frown "What about me?" he demanded, feeling put upon.

Kimiko turned to him with her most vicious cold look "What about you?" she repeated, her words cutting through the air like knives.

Dojo recoiled slightly "Nothing, nothing. Never mind" he hastily replied.

"Now you" Kimiko said, turning her head towards Jack, who jumped visibly then winced at the movement "I'll patch you up as best as I can and then up on the dragon you go" she said the last bit in an almost sing song voice, this, paired with her obvious anger, ranked high in the list of the scariest things Jack had ever encountered. As such he couldn't do anything but nod meekly.

And they'd been sharing a tender moment only minutes prior, Jack lamented, why does it keep turning out this way? Would all potential romantic moments end with Kimiko biting his head off? He wondered and thought of all the insect species that did that. He stifled a whimper.

Kneeling down again, Kimiko resumed her work "Lift your arm please" she instructed. Jack complied lifting his left arm with some difficulty. Kimiko wrapped the gauze efficiently around his ruined chest- she'd had enough experience bandaging wounds back in her youth. Her lips pursed with displeasure, there wasn't nearly enough of the material. "You can lower your arm now" she announced, finishing her work with a neat knot. She used the remaining bandages on the stump of his right arm-the shock of the impact must have pushed the mechanical bit into his flesh, making him bleed. The bleeding from the scratches on his face had stopped for the most part, she wiped away the last thin trickle of blood. "You look terrible" she told him, a little smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Jack gave a theatrical sigh and would have added a swoon, but wincing he thought better of it "I'll admit, I've had better days" He followed the motion of her hand when she reached to remove his shattered goggles, he gave them a mournful look "And they were my best pair" Kimiko only snorted, and ran her fingers through his hair, pushing it away from his face. He sighed blissfully at the contact of her skin against his scalp.

"That coat was quite sturdy" Kimiko said nodding at the crumpled heap of black leather Jack had discarded earlier. The right sleeve was messed up, it was impressive that after that kind of collision there still existed a right sleeve, but apart from that the coat was in excellent shape, if a bit dusty.

"Of course. What do you take me for? I make quality stuff" he said sounding offended.

Not in the past you didn't, Kimiko would have said, but decided not to. Instead she helped Jack into the garment. A thought suddenly occurred to her "Oh! What happened to your spy-bot? I forgot about it in all the commotion" she exclaimed, turning her head this way and that, in search of the small robot.

Jack's brow creased slightly in concentration. He was relieved to hear an answering beep; the little sphere drifted to hover in front of him. A little sigh escaped his lips.

Kimiko gave the floating spy-bot a curious look "How do you make that thing work?" she asked once more.

Jack shrugged and smiled lopsidedly "I'll tell you some time. The spy-bot is fine and operating soundly. Which means that we're still getting out of here"

"That's good to know. Now then, let's get you up" Kimiko said, getting to her feet as well and reaching down for Jack.

The man pushed away from her, back into the cave wall "No way am I riding that!" he exclaimed sending a wild glance toward the dragon.

"Excuse me?" demanded Dojo in annoyance.

"I'll fall off!" continued Jack, ignoring the dragon.

Kimiko rolled her eyes "No you won't. I'm going to tie you to his back" Kimiko explained patiently.

Jack was silent.

Kimiko found this suspicious "You did bring rope didn't you?" she prodded.

Jack was silent a moment longer "I…forgot" he answered finally.

Kimiko gaped at him, then frowned "You're not serious! You forgot the one item that every single camping or trekking manual preaches about?" She glowered at Jack's apologetic form, then nonchalantly said "I'll just have to get Dojo to carry you in his talons… or his mouth"

Jack paled at her words, behind Kimiko Dojo turned a sickly color, "On second thought maybe I did bring it" Jack answered hastily "Yeah, definitely" he giggled weakly.

"You're an idiot, do you know that?" Kimiko told him. She went to check the pack to verify the truth of his words. The rope was indeed there, but everything stored in the bag that was breakable, was broken. She pulled out the rope and with it came a rain of bits and pieces.

Jack groaned piteously at the sight "All that work, all that money… scrap metal now, the lot of it"

Kimiko returned to his side and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder "I'm sorry for your loss" she told him "Now come on" she stooped down getting an arm around his back to help support him. Unfortunately, Jack's knees buckled and fell back down in a heap, hissing with pain.

"I'm so sorry" Kimiko said kneeling down next to him. She was suddenly reminded that he was in this position thanks to her. True the blast had done most of the work, but her added weight can't have helped much. Not to mention she was the one who stupidly ran over to the salamander in the first place. She allowed her head to drop slightly.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Kimiko looked up at the sound of his voice, and was ashamed when she saw worry in his face. "Nothing" she said, shaking her head, her raven black hair swinging to hide her face like dark curtains "It's just that this is pretty much entirely my fault" she muttered feeling miserable.

"Who's being an idiot now?" Jack retorted, smirking. He sobered quickly "I don't regret any of this you know" he confessed quietly, hoping Dojo wouldn't overhear "This is the first time I've ever looked even remotely heroic in your eyes. No way am I going to regret any of it" he said seriously, keeping his eyes locked on hers.

Kimiko could only stare at him in wide-eyed surprise at first, then her expression softened and her eyes sparkled with untold emotions, she shook her head slowly form side to side "You're… you're" she tossed about for a suitable word " so cheesy" she said, stifling an embarrassing sob, she managed a watery smile.

Jack looked hurt "Is that what you really think?" he asked quietly.

Surprised at his sudden seriousness, Kimiko's breath hitched in her throat "No" she said, managing to speak around the lump forming in her throat "You were about as heroic as it gets. Even Raimundo'd have to borrow Clay's hat and tip it to you" she told him, reaching out to touch a gentle hand to his cheek.

He turned his face and kissed her palm tenderly.

"You're still not getting out of the dragon piggy back ride" Kimiko whispered, delighting in the acrobatics her heart was performing.

Jack gave an affected groan "Oh bugger" he muttered into her hand, though at the moment he couldn't care less even if he had to kiss the dragon.

Dojo gave a more heartfelt groan "Ok I get it. I have to carry the guy, but must you make it sound so insulting?" he complained.

Kimiko recovered her hand and turned toward the gloomy dragon "I'm sorry Dojo, but I want you to know that we all appreciate your effort and self-sacrifice" she told him honestly.

Not sensing any obvious sarcasm in her words Dojo puffed a small sigh "Let's get this done and over with" he muttered, offering his back.

"Ok Jack. Let's give this another try" with some effort from the whole party, they managed to get Jack mounted on Dojo's back. He lay flat on his stomach, obediently unmoving as Kimiko secured him with the rope.

"I hate this" he whined "I get motion-sickness. And Dojo has that horrible wavy motion" he looked a little green just thinking about it.

Kimiko smirked "What are you talking about? That's the best part". Jack smiled as well, remembering this conversation from long ago. But the reality of the scaly shape beneath him wiped the smile away from his face. He groaned.

"You had better not throw up on me, or I swear I'll use you to polish the ceiling" Dojo warned.

"Now, now, you two, play nice" Kimiko admonished, grinning as she mounted up behind Jack "Let us be on our way then"

* * *

Dojo navigated the stone corridors with amazing swiftness. His long lean body snaked easily through the narrow tunnels and around tight corners. Over the whooshing of the air, Kimiko could still make out Jack's ill moans and she felt a little sorry for him.

Soon they had made it to the long flight of stairs that would lead them to the tavern's cellar. It was then that the spy-bot's battery finally died. It stopped in midair then fell to the floor.

Weakly Jack managed to lift his head up "Stop. Stop!" he croaked. The dragon slowed and finally stopped, turning his sinuous neck to look warily at the man currently strapped to his back. "You're not going to throw up are you?" Dojo asked aloud, disgust obvious in his rumbling voice.

Kimiko slipped of the serpentine back and went to check on Jack. He looked about as green as Dojo. The man's eyes swiveled to her face, and she noticed the dark shadows under them. "We'd better get you down" Kimiko decided.

Gratefully Jack slid onto the floor, spreading out on his back, blessing it for its unmoving firmness. "That was horrible" he announced to the world "No offence meant" he added for the dragon's benefit. Dojo harrumphed.

When the sickly green color faded from his face and his skin recovered it's pale pigmentation, Kimiko helped him back up on Dojo's back, despite his protests "There's no way you could make it up those stairs" she pointed out to him, and started wrapping the rope around him and Dojo. Jack's hand on hers made her still her motion.

"No need for the rope, I'll hang on by myself" he said, trying to sound confident.

Kimiko only lifted an eyebrow "Are you sure? That's a pretty long fall" she said looking at the stairs "bumpy too"

Jack shook his head "I'll take my chances" he said, starting to push of the rope.

Kimiko wasn't about to let him take his chances though, and an argument was fast developing. Dojo settled this by self-sacrifice. He dipped his head and plucked Jack off of his back in his huge jaws. Jack stiffened in alarm as he felt the pressure of hundreds of pointed teeth dig into him. Seizing the moment Kimiko hurled herself onto Dojo, and within seconds they were at the top of the stairs.

Dojo deposited Jack on the topmost step. Jack looked traumatized by his experience; Kimiko could swear she saw one eye twitch. "Are you ok?" she asked the poor man.

Jack started, then turned to face her, wincing as his muscles stretched "I feel _**violated**_!" he cried out.

Kimiko had to keep from laughing. She gave him a pat on the shoulder and discreetly wiped the drool of her hand on a convenient wall. To Dojo she said "You should revert to your small size now, we don't want to start a riot up there" Dojo did so.

Kimiko reached out, lifting then pushing the cover. Overhead she now saw the underside of the wine rack. She wondered how on earth she was going to push it out of the way; she stretched her hands up and probed the smooth surface, hoping to find some kind of switch. Kimiko smirked victoriously when a small patch gave way under the pressure of her fingers, and she heard a series of answering clicks; the rack swung aside. "I love convenient switches" she thought out loud. Jack gave a little laugh.

Strenuously they managed to climb up the stairs that would lead out of the cellar and into the tavern. They sat down heavily when they were at the top "What time do you think it is?" Kimiko asked Jack, she hadn't thought of bringing a watch. Jack shrugged, he hadn't thought of bringing one either.

"Normally I would send the spy-bot to see if the coast was clear. But this one's out of battery, the other are metallic jigsaw puzzles, and I'm out of ideas" Jack said, letting his head rest against the door.

Kimiko glowered at him "Of course you'd get demoralized at the very end" she chided. At least it's quiet outside, she though, maybe its night, but how could she be sure? She tapped her fingers irritably on the cold stone. Her eyes fell on Dojo. A thoughtful look crossed her face.

"You want me to go see if the coast is clear, don't you?" Dojo muttered, looking harassed.

"Well, you're the best individual for the job, don't you think?" Kimiko pointed out "Now please hurry, I really, really want to get out of here, without getting busted by an angry tavern owner if possible"

Dojo went to the door and pushed slowly on it, hoping it wouldn't squeak horrible, he poked his head through the small opening. He moved his long neck left and right, then slipped back into the cellar "It's night, there's no one out there" he reported.

"Wonderful!" Kimiko exclaimed almost clapping her hands.

Jack wasn't nearly as pleased "That's great and all, but it probably means the exit is locked" he said tiredly.

Kimiko looked over to him, her annoyance replaced by worry, he was looking if possible worse than he had back in the tunnels "That's okay" she said, Jack lifted an inquisitive eyebrow "I can pick the lock" Jack raised the other eyebrow, his expression disbelieving "Don't ask." She told him firmly.

Using scrap metal from Jack's former spy-bots as improvised tools, the trio managed to exit the tavern without causing an outcry. Once outside they slipped into the nearest convenient shadow. It was indeed night outside. The moon, three quarters full, shone brightly. It hurt Kimiko's eyes. Only then did she remember the contacts Jack had given her. With that came a sudden panicked realization "Jack your eye- the contact!"

Jack waved her worries away with a weak motion of his hand "Don't worry, if it ruptures or anything, it'll just dissolve. Besides, it's quite flexible and sturdy" he did remove the contact from his good eye.

Kimiko nodded, wondering vaguely what he made the things out of. "You should call Obadiah" she told Jack as she relaxed her back against the wall they were currently hiding behind.

"My phone" Jack said, his voice sounding faint "Was in the bag"

Kimiko's face well, then she recovered "That's okay, I have mine right here" she said, producing her own mobile from a pocket; she was happy to see it was in one piece and functioning. "What's his number?" she asked.

Jack shrugged "Don't know. I never memorized it"

Kimiko tried to remain calm "I suppose you don't know the hotel number either?" Jack shook his head slowly. "Peachy. Just peachy" Kimiko said through her teeth. She felt so tired, she couldn't think. Mindlessly she dug through her pockets, in vain hope of finding anything useful. Her jacket pockets were empty of course, she only had her phone in there. The same went for the pants. A memory flickered in the back of her mind and from one of the back pack's she pulled out her oversized trench coat and searched for its pockets. Her questing fingers encountered a folded piece of paper. Her heart rate increased as she pulled it out and unfolded it "Thank you" she breathed. When they had left the hotel and passed through the lobby she had unthinkingly pocketed one of the advertising papers on the information desk. It happily contained the phone number of their hotel.

Kimiko turned to tell this to Jack, and was alarmed to find he was unconscious. That's when everything seemed to speed up; everything seemed to zoom past, hardly registering at all. Urgently she jabbed the number into her phone and impatiently waited as it rang. A grouchy French speaking voice answered. Kimiko asked to be patched through to apartment 264, and was promptly refused on account of the late, or early hour-as it were. Giving up on the French, Kimiko launched into a shrill, frantic explanation outlining just how urgent it was that she talk to the occupant of room number 264 and that if he dared close the phone on her he'd be looking forward to her calls all night long.

Perhaps unnerved by the crazy woman on the other end, the receptionist patched her through. Kimiko nearly burst into tears with relief when Obadiah finally answered. She babbled incoherently at the man explaining how Jack was horribly hurt and that he needed to go to a hospital and that he had to come pick them up _**now! **_

She closed off the call and hoped Obadiah had gotten the essential out of what she'd just said and was coming for them. Kimiko realized she was crying, her body was violently jerking with sobs. She covered her mouth with both hands in an effort to stifle the sound.

By her legs Dojo had curled up and was quietly watching her through half closed eyes. He thought he should try and offer some comfort, but decided against it. Kimiko hated to be seen while crying, so he stayed curled up unhappily, trying to ignore the heartbreaking noises.

By the time Obadiah had driven in-which was record timing- Kimiko had managed to calm down. With the grizzled man's help she got the still unconscious Jack inside the car. They laid him back across the back seat. Kimiko rode in front, absently stroking Dojo who was asleep in her lap. She was relieved that Obadiah didn't demand explanations and was content to simply drive them to the nearest hospital.

To the doctors at the hospital Kimiko explained how she and Jack had gone hiking up the mountain and how there was this terrible accident and Jack slipped and some other details she made up as she went along. After Jack was shipped off to be taken care of, the doctors asked about her own scratches and bruises and she said she'd gone after him and fell. And so they carried her off as well, despite her protests, to check her for any internal damage or broken bones.

And Kimiko was tired, so horribly drained. She wished they would all leave her alone. That they would stop pushing and prodding at every inch of her body and instead just give her a chair to sink in and sleep. They gave her a bed and that was all Kimiko remembered before she slipped into blissful oblivion.

* * *

Upon waking, Kimiko sat up instantly in her bed, startling a nurse. Despite the poor woman's cries of protest Kimiko collected her clothes and rushed out of the room in pursuit of Jack.

She found him asleep, and plugged in to so many machines. Kimiko pressed her hands to the glass wall that separated them, not daring to go inside. A doctor found her then; he kindly informed her that Jack was stable and that he was going to be alright. Only then did the world slow down to its normal rhythm, for the first time since Jack had lost consciousness, Kimiko found she could actually hear what people were telling her.

"He was badly injured" the doctor went on "the fall broke three ribs, one of them nearly puncturing a lung. His right shoulder was dislocated. Luckily there was no severe damage to his internal organs, he is a very lucky man. There was some damage to his right arm, where, what we took to be some kind of prosthetic device dug into his flesh. Fortunately that was minor. The cuts and scratches on his face will also heal, there might be some scaring, but it would be minor. He's resting right now, but you could go in if you like" he spoke kindly to her, seeing the worry in her eyes.

Kimiko thanked the doctor for his services and quietly entered the room. She pulled a chair and sat down next to his bed. Feeling moisture gathering at the corner of her eyes Kimiko angrily brushed it away. She'd been crying too much lately.

Jack's left arm was resting over the cover and Kimiko tentatively cupped his hand in hers. She brushed her thumb over his skin, drawing slow circles. She allowed herself to relax. Everything would be okay now, she told herself, Jack was safe, they were out from under the volcano, away from the Salamander. They would come up with a plan. And he was safe, she thought and felt a pleasant warmth flow through her, soothing and calming.

A pressure on her fingers caused her to look down on their joined hands. Jack gave her hand another gentle squeeze. Kimiko's head snapped up to his face, and found him smiling his lopsided smile.

"Hello babe" he greeted her.

Kimiko's face split in a wide grin "Hello to you to. You had me worried for a moment there" she informed him.

This seemed to make Jack happy "Really? Wow. Never thought I'd see the day" he said sounding amazed.

Kimiko snorted softly "Tell me about it"

Jack pouted "Now that's a mean thing to say. But never mind that. Are you ok?" he asked sounding suddenly worried.

Kimiko laughed out loud "You're worried about me? Jack you're plugged into half a dozen different machines, half of which are probably keeping you alive. At least I can breathe on my own"

"Right, right" Jack muttered, settling down more comfortably against his pillows. He frowned suddenly "Say, how did we ever get off the mountain?"

"No thanks to you" Kimiko told him drily "You really should try to memorize at least the important phone numbers" she chastised.

Jack rolled his eyes "Yes, I'll try to remember that. But how _**did**_ we get off the mountain?" he repeated the question.

"Well, turns out I picked up one of the advertising fliers from the hotel and it had its phone number in there, so I called and bullied the receptionist into patching me to Obadiah's room" she told him smugly.

"Ah Kimiko, you're a treasure to have" he told her and gifted her with a smile.

They sat like that in companionable silence with their hands still linked, until Kimiko got up to leave "I should let you rest" she said attempting to remove her hand from his grip.

Jack squeezed it tighter. Kimiko gave him a questioning look. "Don't leave" he pleaded "Stay, I don't like hospitals" and seeing she still looked doubtful, he urged "Please, stay"

Kimiko sat back down in defeat. She was ashamed with herself; when had she lost the ability to say no?

* * *

888

I'm trying to keep this _**not**_ soppy and mushy, am I succeeding? Or am I failing horribly?

I'm guessing there will be two chapters after this, in case you were wondering.

Read&Review put my mind at ease either way.


	17. Chapter 16 Technical terms

Howdy guys! I hope you all had some Happy Happy Holidays! And Good Luck to everyone in the following year!

So here I am, with my first update of the year. Hurrah and huzzah!

Anyhow I want to thank everyone who reviewed! Your reviews make me very happy and I really, really love you guys for it.

Also thanks to the people who faved the fic.

Wolfinson: Thanks for pointing out the error, it's fixed now.

Bishieluver: Maaaaaaybe…. You'll just have to wait and see. And all praise the greek gods!

Disclaimer: Don't own Xiaolin Showdown, nor do I own its characters. If you stumble across an unfamiliar name, chances are I made them up.

Enjoy

888

* * *

Chapter 16 – Technical terms

* * *

Kimiko sat with Jack, and after he had fallen asleep, under the influence of the morphine, she had sat by his bedside, watching him sleep.

At some point Obadiah had dropped in to check on Jack; he looked as tall and as grizzled as ever. The two had exchanged few words, mostly because Obadiah had trouble keeping his voice from wobbling with emotion. He must really care about Jack, Kimiko mused as she watched the man surreptitiously wipe a tear from the corner of one eye- she pretended not to notice.

"Here" Obadiah said suddenly, startling Kimiko "I brought you this" he said handing her the shoulder bag he had been carrying.

Kimiko took the weathered but sturdy brown thing, eyeing it dubiously. What could he possibly have brought her? She opened the clasp and peeked inside. Kimiko was greeted by the sight of Dojo, peacefully asleep.

"It insisted to be brought here. Persistent bugger. Very annoying. I threatened to make him into a wallet if he didn't shut up" Obadiah went on then stopped suddenly, thinking perhaps he was being a little too crass, this was a lady he was speaking to after all "I hope you don't mind" he finished a little lamely.

Kimiko struggled to keep her amusement away from her face "No. I understand. Dojo can be a little… yes, annoying is a good word. Thank you for bringing him" she said smiling politely.

Obadiah gave the bag a withering look and shook his head "It pestered me like the bleeding plague to be brought here and now it's asleep" he commented in his rough voice, looking disgusted.

"Sorry for all the trouble he's caused you" Kimiko replied as she pulled the slumbering dragon out of the bag and onto her lap. Dojo never even stirred. Obadiah grunted and shrugged noncommittally.

They sat like that for a while, lost in their own thoughts, with the only sound in the room belonging to Jack's heart monitor. "We should be getting back to the hotel soon" Obadiah said, getting out of his chair.

Kimiko blinked uncomprehendingly at first, then her mouth opened, her lips forming a small "o". Of course, the hotel. Kimiko looked down, her unfocussed stare on Dojo. Certainly she should go, she thought, but somehow she didn't feel like leaving Jack. It was a strange and irrational feeling that just wouldn't be ignored. She looked up at Obadiah who was watching her expectantly "Thank you, but I think I'll sleep here tonight" she said with a small smile.

Obadiah eyed her levelly an eyebrow raised minutely, sizing her up perhaps. Then he nodded, a strange look in his eyes; approval? And with only a parting nod he turned and left the room.

When his footsteps could no longer be heard Kimiko felt Dojo stir in her lap "Phew! I thought he'd never leave"

She looked down at the very much awake dragon. "And so the great beast awakens" she commented wryly.

"I wasn't asleep. I was feigning. That guy gives me the creeps with that one-eyed glare" here he shuddered, a tremor running down the length of his body "Do you know he threatened me?" Dojo exclaimed with outrage.

"I knew you weren't asleep" at Dojo's questioning look she explained "No snoring" Dojo gave a little shrug "And anyway you probably drove the poor man to exasperation"

"Yeah well, I had to get here somehow, see if you were ok. And he was ignoring me! The nerve of the man! If he wasn't so absolutely terrifying I'd tell him a thing or two" Dojo retorted, puffing his chest up.

Kimiko smirked at the display "Yes, I'm sure you would"

"Why are we sleeping here though?" Dojo asked, quirking an eyebrow in confusion.

Kimiko squirmed uncomfortably and hated herself for it "It just didn't feel right to leave him like this, alone" she said and shrugged dismissively.

"Uh-huh" Dojo answered, now looking ever so slightly suspicious "Kimiko… You wouldn't happen to have developed… certain feelings towards this here lump, would you?" he asked, pointing over his shoulder at Jack's comatose form.

Kimiko felt the blood rush to her face and couldn't do anything to stop it. Could it get any more incriminating ? She couldn't think of a dignified way to answer the question and so stayed silent.

Dojo groaned "Oh no, don't tell me you fell in l-"

"No! No!" Kimiko exclaimed nearly jumping to her feet "It's not like that, not at all! I just… I've come to respect him" she said, tossing about for suitable words to convey her meaning "He's a friend now, and as such I care for him and his well being and I… I worry" she stopped, seeing Dojo's incredulous look and added "If something would have happened to Omi or Raimundo or Clay I would have done the same thing" Kimiko said with confidence, daring the dragon to argue. A voice inside her head told her that she hadn't kissed any of the three quite like that. Kimiko considered this, perhaps it was more than just 'friendship', but nothing would possess her to spill something like that to the blabber-mouth dragon.

Unaware of the thoughts currently passing through Kimiko's mind, Dojo tilted his head to the side, considering "I suppose" he conceded at last. Then focusing on the more immediate matter "Where are you going to sleep?" he asked pointedly looking around the mostly empty room.

Kimiko shrugged "That armchair will do, and I'll drag the chair over so I can stretch my legs" she declared, with a nod in the direction of the armchair.

Dojo sighed a long suffering sigh "I miss the easy life" he said shaking his serpentine head.

* * *

When Jack awoke, late that night, he stupidly tried to sit up. Groaning and cursing silently he fell back against the pillow. He blinked in the darkness of the room. What had woken him up? He listened intently for any sound that was out of place. At first he could only hear the constant beeping and soft purring of the machines he was connected to; then his ears picked up something else. A sound like breathing, barely heard at all, he had to strain his hearing in order to listen to it. And then it came again, the sound that had caused Jack to wake. A loud rumbling snore followed by a whistling whoosh of air. Jack blinked, dumbfounded -he was in a private room. He twisted his head around, searching for the source of the sound. His eyes used by now to the darkness, Jack managed to pick out a figure curled up in the armchair across the room. His breath hitched in his throat when he realized who it was. The loud snore came again, extricating him from his moment of happy surprise and dousing him in ice cold shock.

Jack stared in open disbelief at the sleeping form of Kimiko. Then his eyes picked out another, smaller, shape, sleeping slung over the back of the armchair. Jack breathed with relief; Kimiko wasn't the one snoring to bring the roof down. Moment of temporary distress overcome, he settled back against the pillows.

Jack watched her and wished fervently he still had his night-lenses, so he could see her more clearly. He smiled to himself; Kimiko had stayed with him overnight. It was heart warming, and Jack wanted nothing more than to be able to walk over to where she slept and cradle her to him. And perhaps to safely dispose of the dragon, Jack thought as another gargantuan snore erupted from the small lizard. How could something so small make so much noise? It was amazing that Kimiko was still asleep. She was probably used to it, Jack hypothesized.

It was a while before he managed to fall asleep again, but when he did, he was smiling.

* * *

Kimiko woke up, feeling stiff and aching all over. She sat up, stretching to relieve the chinches in her muscles. Her sleep blurred eyes settled on Jack's bed and she was a little surprised to find him watching her. "Morning" he greeted, sounding way too cheerful for someone connected to half a dozen medical appliances. The corners of Kimiko's mouth pulled down; morning people, she thought bitterly.

"Yeah, hi" she answered with significantly less enthusiasm "Could you pipe down the cheery-ness, for Heave's sakes you're recovering from massive injuries" she grunted.

"Ye-es, but I'm recovering aren't I? What's not to be happy about?" he replied just as cheerfully. Kimiko had the sneaking suspicion he was doing it on purpose.

Jack's expression softened as the manic grin lost some of its intensity "You stayed" he said quietly.

Kimiko couldn't believe she was blushing this early in the morning, her blood pressure was too low to wake her up but sufficient to make her face look like an overripe tomato? Life just wasn't fair. "I did" she answered curtly, hoping he wouldn't pursue the subject. No such luck however.

"You didn't need to. I know I asked you to stay, but I didn't mean you had to sleep here" Jack began, but Kimiko cut him off swiftly.

"Obviously, I realized that. But Obadiah looked so worried I just had to promise to watch over you, for his sake" Kimiko lied expertly.

Jack smirked, not believing one word "Of course" then more seriously "It means allot to me"

Kimiko looked away in embarrassment; she wished he wouldn't make such a big deal out of it.

"So, Obie came to visit? That's sweet of him" Jack said conversationally.

"He did, poor man, he was worried sick- albeit in a tough manly way. I'm pretty sure he wiped a tear away at some point. And when he left I could hear him blowing his nose in the hallway" Kimiko said, a smile resurfacing as she spoke.

Jack smiled "Yeah. He's been like that since I was a kid. He worries too much"

Kimiko quirked an eyebrow and looked him up and down pointedly "Judging by the state of you I'd say he doesn't worry enough" she pointed out.

Jack grinned "Point taken" his eyes trailed to the back of Kimiko's armchair, until they rested on Dojo "I couldn't help but notice that the dragon suddenly made an appearance. Hard not to notice, considering the noise. It was quite frightening really, the magnitude of that sound, I swear I could feel the bed vibrating"

Kimiko giggled and Dojo stirred in his sleep. "You're amazing for sleeping through that" Jack went on, giving Kimiko an earnestly admiring look.

The girl only shrugged "You get used to it with time. It's a self-preservation thing, my brain simply bypasses it. But I can tell you, it wasn't easy reaching this point"

Dojo made an indignant noise and cracked open an eye "Would you two give it a rest? Or if you must talk behind my back, could you, you know, talk _**behind**_ my back?"

"Sorry Dojo" Kimiko said unrepentantly. With an injured sniff Dojo closed his eye and slipped back into a doze. Kimiko turned to Jack and added "Poor thing, he's been under allot of stress lately. I think he and Obadiah were driving each other to exasperation"

Jack nodded seriously "That I do not doubt"

Kimiko wondered if she should open the Salamander topic. She didn't feel like it for a number of reasons. Firstly, because it seemed wrong to breech it while Jack was in this state; secondly, it was something that made her uncomfortable and thirdly, they might actually come up with a plan to capture the creature, which would end Kimiko's little 'escape' from the metropolitan lifestyle. It would also end her association which Jack, which she wasn't eager to terminate for reasons she'd rather not examine closely.

This train of thought left her feeling confused and rather irritable. Kimiko realized she needed to talk to someone. Someone who wasn't involved in the madness. Someone down to earth, someone stable on whom she could depend on to give sensible advice. Kimiko decided she needed to give Clay a call. She'd promised she'd call to keep the other Dragons updated anyway.

Clay, Kimiko knew, was the perfect shoulder to cry on. He would listen to you as you poured your heart out, then issue comforting words, and if the situation called for it, he'd even give you a big, soothing hug. Then after you'd calm down he'd go about helping you fix the situation.

Kimiko didn't intend to cry on his shoulder or anything so dramatic. She just needed to clear her head a little and get some perspective into the whole mess.

But first she wanted to grab some breakfast. She told this to Jack who pouted childishly "What about me?" he demanded in a whiny voice.

Kimiko rolled her eyes and told him someone would come to feed him. Eventually. Smirking, she left the room and the crestfallen Jack who gave an imploring "Don't leave meeee!" which she promptly ignored.

* * *

The hospital cafeteria was the noisiest part of the hospital. Patients, doctors and visitors alike, all gathered together, happily chatting away, accompanied by the constant ring and clatter of plates and cutlery. Kimiko found the noise oddly relaxing. She listen to the people around her as she ate, allowing her mind to go blank. After finishing her meal –Obadiah had provided the money- and disposing of her tray Kimiko left the noisy cafeteria. She decided to make the call out in the front lobby, being pretty certain that using a mobile phone anywhere else inside the hospital was not permitted.

She tapped her foot impatiently on the solid marble of the floor, as she waited for Clay to pick up. When he did finally answer, he did it so loudly, Kimiko had to push the phone away at arms length. You'd think he never used a mobile before.

"Kimiko? Is that you? You okay? Hello? Why aren't you answering?" Clay's voice demanded from the other end.

"I would, if you'd pipe down a little. Clay calm down! Stop yelling" Kimiko hissed back angrily, trying to keep her voice down, the nurse at the front desk was already glaring at her. Kimiko wondered if calling Clay was the best decision after all, he didn't sound all that cool and collected.

"Sorry" he said in a noticeably quieter tone "Sorry. It's just that we've been a little worried about you. You never called back. So you're okay?" he spoke rapidly in his heavy Texan accent.

Kimiko was used to his speech patterns though "Yes, I'm fine. A bit busy, but otherwise fine" Kimiko answered, hoping he wouldn't ask for specifics.

"Where are you now?" Clay asked.

Kimiko groaned inwardly, might as well get it over with "I'm in a hospital in Clermont-Ferrand. France"

"You're in a WHAT?" came the predictably loud reply.

"It's fine. I'm fine. Jack not so much, but the point is we're neither of us in mortal danger. Dojo's fine too" Kimiko answered, trying to make the message as loud and as clear as possible by conveying it in simplistic terms.

"Mortal danger?" Clay repeated in alarm. Obviously he wasn't getting the message.

"Stop that" Kimiko snapped "Stop worrying. We're all fine. Kay? Why are you so panicky anyway?"

She was met with silence from the other side. Kimiko could imagine Clay squirming uncomfortably on his end "We-el… um. See, me 'n Rai've been talkin' n' well… we've decided that lettin' ya walk off with Spicer wasn't the brightest idea… and since ya never called…" Clay's accent became thicker, an obvious sign of guilt, he left the phrase hanging.

Kimiko tapped the fingers of her free arm on her hip, she sighed heavily "Every time you and Rai get together you start worrying like a pair of paranoid old women, it's a disturbing habit. Anyway, Jack's been a saint… that is to say he hasn't been actively evil. He's behaving. That should put you two worrywarts at ease" Kimiko assured him in a less that kind tone of voice.

A moment of silence, she could almost see Clay cringing slightly "If you say so"

Kimiko nodded her satisfaction "Now that we're in agreement and you've stopped talking like my grandmother, I want to talk to you about something"

"All right" Clay said, his tone encouraging her to go on.

Kimiko sighed softly, and sank in one of the empty chairs "Clay, I need a man-talk"

Understanding dawned on Clay, so that's what it was, he thought to himself. Unconsciously he straightened his back and squared his shoulders "What's bothering you then?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm feeling a little disappointed, the Salamander gig isn't going as smoothly as I'd been hoping. Actually it's going about as bad as is possible" Kimiko muttered dejectedly.

"How do you mean??" Clay asked encouragingly.

"Well, for one, the Salamander turned out to be a living, breathing, fire spitting bastard" Kimiko said in a flat monotone.

Clay blinked "I…see. Like the Sapphire dragon?" He hadn't been expecting that.

Kimiko shrugged "Kind of. Except this guy is much more elusive, doesn't present any aversion to soot and seems to be able to shape shift. The latest attempt to retrieve the Salamander can only be labeled as utter and complete Fail. And that's with a capital F"

"It certainly sounds like it didn't go well. I mean you're in a hospital. I take it Spicer is the worse for wear?" Clay asked, privately wondering if Kimiko was making light of her injuries to keep him from worrying.

Kimiko felt a smile tug at her lips "He did. He protected me" she felt a slight fluttering in her stomach as she said the words.

Clay's mouth fell open, scratch the living Salamander, this was the real surprise "That certainly is unexpected" he muttered, more to himself than to her "But you said he's fine now?" Jack Spicer being selfless, now there was novelty.

Kimiko nodded vigorously "So the doctors have assured me"

"That's good" a pause "Kimiko, I'm sorry, but you'll have to be a little more clear about this. I don't see what the problem is?" Clay said helplessly.

Kimiko's mouth opened and closed as she tried to figure out how to explain her predicament " I… I don't want to go back down there" she said finally.

Clay wisely took "down there" to mean "where the Salamander is". He pursed his lips "I'm guessing you're not telling me everything about what happened when you faced off against the thing"

Kimiko's face contorted in misery, she was so ashamed with herself for feeling this way " I told you it breathes fire. Except it's not like normal fire, like what Dojo breathes or like what I do. This fire… it extinguishes every other flame it touches, it sucks it up. I was no exception" she said quietly.

Clay's eyes narrowed in understanding. He should have realized it earlier, it was in the way she spoke the creature's name, a certain tightness to her voice, like she was trying to suppress something. The experience had obviously been terrifying for Kimiko, he couldn't even begin to imagine how she must have felt; it had obviously frightened her to the point where she didn't want to go anywhere near the Salamander. That something could scare the normally fearless Kimiko this much was amazing to Clay. He frowned in concentration, wondering what he could say to make the girl feel better.

"How did you get out?" Clay asked, hoping too chance across some useful information.

"Dojo frightened it. I don't think it ever encountered a dragon before. It was surprised and ran off" Kimiko answered dully "I don't think that particular tactic is going to be effective for long though"

Clay sighed, feeling useless "Kimiko, all I can tell you is that, when you go back there you'll know what to expect. You won't fall for the same trick again. And knowing what to expect you'll have time to prepare. That Spicer fellow was a bright one, he should figure something out. Just don't rush it, take your time, I know you have a tendency to be hasty sometimes"

Kimiko gave a short humorless laugh.

"I'm sorry I can't be of more help to you" Clay said apologetically.

Kimiko forced her voice to sound cheerful "Nah, you've been plenty of help. I'm feeling much better" she didn't think this was a lie. It was nice to hear an old friend's voice.

"Is there anything else I can do?" Clay asked.

Kimiko hesitated. She wondered whether she should mention her other dilemma, the one involving a certain red-head. At the last moment she decided against it. Clay and Raimundo not only worried like old women, they gossiped like them as well "No, it's fine" she said finally.

"Oh!" Clay exclaimed suddenly " I realize this mightn't be the best time, but, as you know, Emily and I are getting married in April, and we'd both very much appreciate it if you'd agree to be one of the bride's maids" he finished hopefully.

Kimiko blinked, it was certainly a surprising turn to the conversation "Wow Clay, that's really nice of you and all, but wouldn't Emily prefer some of her own friends for the job?"

Clay brushed her worry away "Emily loves you" he assured Kimiko "Besides we want to have someone dependable there"

Kimiko felt her mood lighten considerably "Well, if you feel that way, I guess I can't say no. I'll be happy to" she replied, and felt her face break into a genuine smile. Clay's obvious joy was contagious.

"Excellent! Emily'll be happy to hear it" then reining his exuberance in, said in a much sobered tone "Be careful there and good luck"

"Thanks Clay" Kimiko said with feeling "Good bye"

Kimiko slipped the phone back into her pant pocket –Obadiah had been kind enough to bring her some spare clothes. It hadn't gone as she was expecting, but the conversation had certainly had a beneficial effect. Getting married and settling down seemed like such an amazing thing to a person who'd spent most of her years fighting monsters and getting into Xiaolin Showdowns; the Salamander issue seemed pathetic and shallow in comparison. Besides, Clay was right, there was time, and they had resources, and Jack could be clever when he applied himself to it.

Feeling refreshed, Kimiko walked back to Jack's room with a new spring in her step. Walking in she found Jack sitting up in bed, propped against his pillows, idly pushing food around his plate. He looked up at her approach.

"You look…perky" he commented, looking somewhat jealous of the fact "I imagine you've had a decent meal?" he inquired.

Kimiko crossed the room and settled down in the armchair "I did actually. Why, haven't you?"

Jack gave her a flat look "Look here" he said gesturing at his plate "What does this look like to you?"

Kimiko regarded the green substance critically "Mm… Chunky green mush?" she offered after some deliberation.

Jack nodded "And how do you imagine it tastes like?" Jack asked pleasantly.

Kimiko only shrugged.

Jack's face contorted in a grimace of disgust "I'll tell you what it tastes like. It tastes exactly like how you'd imagine chunky green mush would taste like"

Kimiko's lips pulled down in distaste "Ugh…That bad?"

"Worse" Jack said feelingly.

"At least its French cuisine" Kimiko said comfortingly "So it doesn't matter how it looks or tastes"

Jack lifted an eyebrow "That's not very comforting seeing as how I actually have to eat it"

Kimiko sighed and wave her hand vaguely in the air "Can't you ask for something else?" she suggested.

"Oh I did. You don't want to know what they gave me before the chunky green mush" Jack replied tightly.

Kimiko got up and walked over to place a pitying hand on Jack's shoulder "I feel for you my friend"

Jack sighed and pushed the food away "I hate hospital food" he complained, leaning back against the pillows.

Kimiko, looking at his plate close up found she couldn't blame him "It's strange, the food down at the cafeteria is quite good"

"Of course it is. But I'm a patient. My jaw should be stiff and unmoving, my teeth made of wool and my sense of taste gone without a trace. The food is perfectly adequate it's my fault for not complying with the requirements" he commented dejectedly.

Kimiko chuckled "You have really lousy luck don't you?"

"Boy, do I know it?" Jack exclaimed piteously.

Looking around the quiet room, Kimiko realized something was missing "Where's Dojo?" she asked aloud.

"Cold blooded snake" Jack seethed "Took one look at the contents of my plate and fled for greener pastures. The lowlife, probably stuffing his face somewhere"

Laughter bubbled up in Kimiko's throat. She could imagine Jack's face when the dragon slithered out of the room, abandoning him to his fate.

Jack regarded the laughing girl glumly "Yeah sure, laugh it up. Ha, ha. It's hilarious watching Jack choose between starvation and food poisoning" he sniffed.

"I'd get you something edible Jack, but I'm pretty sure it's against hospital policy to bring unauthorized food up here" she smiled seeing Jack's disgruntled expression.

Eventually Jack did eat the green mush, fervently telling himself that it was made of peas. Dojo joined them after a while, looking full and content. Jack's hate filled glares seemed to bounce right off his scaly hide.

* * *

It was the next day that Kimiko finally breeched the Salamander topic.

"Jack, what do we do about the Salamander?" -Kimiko didn't beat around the bush much.

Jack raised his eyebrows "Good question" he was silent after that.

Kimiko allowed thirty seconds to pass in silence "What, are you kidding? That's all you have to say?" she demanded in annoyance.

Jack leaned away from her, he was recovering nicely, and had by now regained mobility in his upper body "No. I mean yes. I mean no" he babbled "Look, I can't do very much about it here, now can I?" he said, gesturing around himself at the room "I can't get a phone to call anybody. I can't bring my computer in to do research" he shook his head "Until I get out of here, I can't do anything. You'll have to wait a little longer" the last part was said in a kinder voice "I know how much you hate waiting. I'll only be in here for a couple of more days at the most" he assured her.

Jack's words made Kimiko feel ashamed of herself, she wasn't a little child anymore, she could have patience for a few more days "Sorry" she muttered a self-mocking smile turning her lips "I guess the hospital atmosphere finally got to me. I just want to get this whole ordeal over with"

A strange expression fleeted across Jack's face, so fast Kimiko barely registered it. It looked like hurt.

"The anticipation, it makes me edgy" Kimiko went on, trying to ignore the guilt he made her feel. Damn Jack for taking everything so personally and consequentially making her feel bad. Kimiko was aware she was casually redirecting her anger on Jack. This was what she meant by edgy.

Kimiko decided she needed to give her mind something else to think bout. Her eyes fell on the stump of Jack's right arm; she gave it a thoughtful look "Jack, I've been wondering. You say you embarked on this treasure hunt in order to get funding for your research?"

Jack looked surprised by the new direction the conversation was going in. Regardless, he gave a small nod, wondering where she was going with this new line of questioning.

"I don't understand why you'd go to such lengths. I mean it's medical research- a very popular branch of development, I would imagine companies would trip over one another offering to sponsor your work" Kimiko said, a small crease forming between her eyebrows.

Jack smiled humorlessly "You'd think that. And under normal circumstances it would be as you say. Unfortunately that is not the case and funds are depressingly hard to come by"

Kimiko frowned uncomprehendingly "What do you mean 'normal circumstances'?"

Jack pursed his lips, he was feeling uncomfortable talking about his work "My research is… well, it's a bit avant-garde" he answered vaguely.

Kimiko lifted an eyebrow "That's very broad Jack. Do elaborate" she suggested.

Jack sighed in resignation "You saw my arm, it mimicked the actions of a normal muscle and bone arm almost perfectly. You didn't even know it was artificial until I turned it into a pile of scrap metal"

Kimiko nodded slowly "So whatever it is you're doing, it's successful" she said tentatively.

Jack gave a short laugh "You could say that. But how do you think I made it move like that?"

Kimiko leaned back slightly "I imagine it has to be some insanely complicated apparatus. I'm not really familiar with this line of work"

Jack smiled "True, it is insanely complicated, but that's only _**how**_ it moves. How does it know what and when to move is the real question"

Kimiko frowned in confusion at first, then as a suspicion made its way into her consciousness and her eyes began to widen. Normally muscle movement or any other kind of movement was dictated by the brain via nervous impulses, but if the arm were robotic… there would be no nerves for the impulses to travel through.

"Nervous impulses are something like electrical charges as far as I remember" Kimiko mused aloud. She gaped at Jack "Have you found a way to have them pass through an artificial medium?"

Jack seemed pleased with her line of reasoning "That's what I tried doing at first. Find a medium that could receive and conduct those impulses. Sadly none of the things I tried worked, the impulse would get lost along the way or they would simply not be picked up at all. It was very frustrating, you may well imagine. When this failed I decided I had to get closer to the source"

"Closer to the source…" Kimiko repeated, uncertain of what he meant.

Jack smiled at her confusion "You asked me how I controlled my spy-bots? Well…" he lifted his one hand and tapped his forehead with a pale forefinger.

Kimiko's mouth fell open. Her eyes were as wide as saucers "You…What did you do?" she stammered.

"I think you've pretty much grasped the general idea. Inside my brain there are several devices that receive, convert and transmit the information to their counterparts inside the artificial limb or in the spy-bot, as it were. A little bit like a remote control actually" Jack explained calmly.

"But I thought you said you couldn't capture the impulses" Kimiko exclaimed completely shocked by this new revelation.

"True for long distances, but these little contraptions are at the very source, and with the right medium, these impulses are quite readily apprehended"

Kimiko could only stare in disbelief at him. So many notions were fighting for her attention. For one he was completely revolutionizing neurosurgery. Another thought was that the man was completely insane and that he was desecrating the human body. A third thought had to do with moral ethics. The fourth was on how dangerous this technology could be in the wrong hands, artificial or otherwise. A fifth cried out at how dangerous this was in general.

"That I imagine is the look Baron Frankenstein received when he told people about his latest creation" Jack said with some amusement. "The thoughts currently running through your head are what every Company's major shareholder must have thought as well. You might understand now why it was so difficult for me to find someone willing to fund me" he said in a more serious voice.

Kimiko found she couldn't say anything.

Jack went on, apparently unperturbed by her silence "Obviously there were some questionable organizations that were quite willing to sponsor my work as long as I reported and turned over all my findings and progress. This did not sit well with me. Regardless of what you might still think of me, I do have a moral code as well as principles. I'm well aware of how dangerous this technology could prove to be. Incidentally the Military was one of the offers I had to turn down" he added conversationally.

Kimiko had to physically shake her head to dislodge the 'mad-scientist Jack ' picture her mind had conjured up. Finally she seemed to have found her voice "Wow Jack…just, wow…" she said eloquently. She frowned in an effort to gather her wits about her "Um… so what did you use to test this new technology?"

"Small rodents at first. Already crippled of course- I don't believe in unnecessary cruelty" he added quickly, and then "I'm the only human test subject" he informed her casually.

"You are insane!" Kimiko exploded "Using yourself as a test subject! What are you thinking? What if the thing short-circuits or decides to explode or God knows what else could go wrong!"

"I'm flattered by your concern for my well-being and a little injured by the fact that you seem to believe I can only produce low quality junk" Jack said calmly.

Kimiko shook her head in disbelief "Are you being purposefully dense? Or are you simply ignorant of the risks you're exposing yourself too?" she demanded to know.

Jack reached out and grabbed Kimiko's hand. She tried to pull away but Jack held fast "Believe me when I tell you that I took all precautions while performing this operation. I told you, I hate pain, I would never do anything if I thought it could endanger my well being, let alone if it would kill me" he said, locking his red eyes firmly onto hers; then in lighter tones "I'm not your average mad-doctor, I'm not going to turn into a horribly mutated monster and proceed to go haywire and cause havoc. Have some faith Kim"

Kimiko subsided slightly "But how did you manage to pull this off? When did you learn all this? Human anatomy…I mean, the nervous system isn't something you can master in just a couple of years. It must take decades of practice before you can come anywhere near a breakthrough like harnessing nervous impulses or in which areas of the brain to place the transmitters" she reasoned.

"Decades of practice that the doctors on my team most definitely have" Jack assured her. He grinned up at her "You didn't think I managed to perform brain surgery on myself _**by**_ myself, did you?"

"Oh. Right…" Kimiko said feeling exceedingly stupid. On the bright side, she thought to herself, the Salamander sounded like a much more sane and safe endeavor. Between Clay's wedding and Jack's medical endeavors the Salamander seemed a mere nuisance.

A random thought crossed Kimiko's mind and she latched unto it "I wonder. Do you think the brain thing would be against hospital policy?" she wondered aloud.

Jack blinked "How do you mean?"

"I mean the 'no mobile phones, no personal computers, no radio-frequencies emitting things' doesn't the controller in your head count?" Kimiko wondered, in a detached manner, if she was taking this too calmly.

Jack looked a little surprised by her question "It probably would count. But luckily it's turned off since there's no arm to control" he said shrugging.

"I see" she said calmly. It was turned off. There was something very wrong about this conversation, Kimiko was sure, she just didn't want to think about it anymore. "I'll go ask the nurse if I can get some more pillows" she said, striving for something akin to normalcy. Nowadays it seemed so hard to come by.

* * *

888

I think this is hands down the weirdest chapter I have written for this fic. Don't be too harsh in your critiques, I have virtually no idea what I'm talking about, I was just trying to make it sound interesting. Anyway, Read and Review!


	18. Chapter 17 Eureka!

HahaHA! Update!

Who'd have thought? It's a little short, but what the heck, it's an update.

Thank you reviewers, I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter, I was quite worried about it.

Bishieluver01: I am ashamed to say I did not :( I just went with whatever I remembered from my anatomy course in high school.

Disclaimer: Why do I keep having to do this? No I don't own it. But I LOVE it!!! So don't sue

888

* * *

Chapter 18 - Eureka!

* * *

Jack's release day finally came and Kimiko couldn't be happier for it. There is only so much time one can spend in a hospital before depression starts to sink in. Sickness and death seemed to seep through the very walls and wrap around her in choking, suffocating clouds. Kimiko's muscles felt sore from the constant tenseness. Every time a stretcher rattled in or she saw medics and nurses rush to an emergency room, upon hearing the agonized screams of an injured man, or the frightened wailing of a child, her body would stiffen in a futile effort to block it all out. It was a reflexive reaction and she couldn't help it. It got so bad that she nearly twitched every time a nurse came in to check on Jack. So when the doctor finally signed Jack's release papers she had to stave her impulse to simply run out of the building flailing and screaming.

After careful consideration Kimiko decided that that would not be in her best interests, and would only result in her spending even more time in the hospital, tied up in the psychiatric ward. Not to mention the heavy blow to her dignity. Having arrived to that conclusion, Kimiko was now quietly pushing Jack's wheelchair, leading him towards the exit. The man could actually walk on his own, but hospital policy dictated the use of the wheelchair.

Jack fully clothed and ever so slightly impatient, sat idly twiddling his thumbs, obediently allowing himself to be escorted down the hallway and towards the elevator. He was feeling quite cheerful to be going at last. So he felt a little deflated when Kimiko didn't respond with nearly as much enthusiasm. She was, in fact, unusually quiet. Jack thought he should strike up a conversation, but he wasn't quite sure what to say.

"So…." he began uncertainly "Looks like the weather is quite nice for this time of the year" there, he though, giving himself a mental pat on the back.

Behind him, Kimiko lifted her eyebrows, and a smirk bloomed on her face "The weather, Jack? That's a little unimaginative don't you think?"

"All right, well you say something then" Jack answered petulantly.

"Okay. Well, for starters I want to inform you that you were, once again, wrong" Kimiko announced, leaning forward to press the elevator button.

Jack's eyebrows shot up "Wrong?" he inquired, surprised.

"Oh yes, you said it would only be 'a couple more days' and in fact it turned out to be five more days. Five, horrible, traumatizing days, I might add" Kimiko said conversationally.

Jack spluttered at the injustice "Well I was quite ready to be discharged after two more days. If you want to blame someone blame the doctor for refusing to sign the release papers. And you shouldn't be complaining. You at least got to eat a decent meal every time you felt like it. I, on the other hand, had to eat: chunky green mush, crumbly grey pâté with suspicious yellow garnish, a fluffy brown thing- on the origin of which I don't even want to speculate, chunky green mush soufflé and to top it all off crème brulee suprise! The 'suprise', I can tell you, certainly was a surprise and not a very pleasant one" Jack said, suppressing a disgusted shiver.

"Oh come, come, I know for a fact you quite enjoyed the crumbly grey pâté" Kimiko pointed out.

"That's beside the point. And apart from being treated to the ghastly excuse for food, I had to be trooped off twice a day for some check up or other. I cannot begin to imagine why they thought lying down all day would cause my back bone to spontaneously fracture, despite there having been no previous damage" Jack complained loudly as she pushed him into the elevator that was thankfully empty.

"Oh that reminds me. How did they get you into the MRI?" Kimiko wondered.

"Um… well I didn't really put up that much of a fight…" Jack said slowly, wondering if he was perhaps being too vehement in his complaining.

"I was referring to the fact that an MRI is basically one big magnet" Kimiko clarified.

Jack frowned for a moment, then his expression brightened "Oh you mean the transmitters in my head? The materials used to make them are not metallic, so they wouldn't react. For that matter, the arm itself isn't made out of metal" he informed her.

Kimiko nodded "Oh. I was wondering about that. Yes, that would have mad a lot of things difficult. Airports for one"

"Did you really think I would be stupid enough to not think of magnets, when building these things?" Jack asked, sounding a offended.

"Sorry" Kimiko said, shrugging.

"Well, I did. At least after the accident with the sixth prototype" Jack admitted.

Kimiko's eyebrows shot up "You got to number six before you thought about that?" she asked unable to hide her amusement.

"I'm not very proud of it. Thankfully it was before we attempted to implant the transmitters"

Kimiko shook her head slowly from side to side and wondered how the man managed to stay alive. Dojo appeared to be wondering the same thing, as hissing laughter could be heard coming from the leather bag currently held in Jack's lap.

Apparently displeased by the dragon's behavior, Jack brought his fist down to rest on the bag, a little harder than strictly necessary. Dojo gave a startled squelch. Jack smiled happily.

Kimiko thought about pushing the both of them down a flight of stairs. She settled for rolling her eyes at the pair.

Once in the entrance hall Jack finally got out of the wheelchair and he stretched out as well as his still sore body would allow. Kimiko watched him, a small smile on her lips. It was very good to see him back on his feet.

Obadiah was waiting outside to drive them back to the hotel. On his grizzled face a look of determined calm. He growled something and ducked into the driver's seat. Jack and Kimiko exchanged a knowing look before following.

"And this ends your extended vacation" Kimiko informed Jack as they both reclined in the back seat "You'll have to start working now"

"Woe is me" Jack said with melancholy, though he couldn't quite keep the grin off his face. "Actually, I can't wait to get started. The sooner I get that little scaly bastard, the sooner I'll feel better for destroying half a million dollars worth of robotic-arm" he sighed.

"Ouch" Kimiko said sympathetically.

"Yeah, ouch. Wait till my accountant hears about it" he muttered darkly.

* * *

Having arrived at the hotel, Jack discovered that not much had changed from his hospital days. He found himself restricted to bed once more, with Kimiko and Obadiah making sure he stayed there and Dojo acting like an obnoxious alarm every time Jack so much as twitched the wrong way. Jack felt compelled to complain at the injustice.

"I'm fine" he told Kimiko "I can stand and walk and I'm only slightly stiff, hardly enough reason for you to confine me to this!" he said gesturing at the bed he was currently sitting on "You're one ste away from actually strapping me down!".

"Shut up and lie down" Kimiko told him as she walked around his room tiding up and collecting important looking pieces of paper. The mess had started to get on her nerves. She didn't care what Jack said, there was no way he was ever orderly. Keeping him in bed not only insured he wouldn't hurt himself, but it would also keep the room moderately neat.

"Babe, you are so cold" Jack whined, allowing himself to fall back against the bed. He watched her progress around the room with wary eyes, convinced that he would never be able to locate anything ever again. On the other hand, she made a pleasant figure to watch. It occurred to Jack that Kimiko was in fact a busybody, she always seemed to be doing something.

Right at the moment she was dumping a big pile of paper in his lap. She stood there, watching him expectantly, her foot tapping a rhythm on the carpet. "These need sorting out" she informed him at last.

Apparently Kimiko was expecting Jack to be a busybody as well. He lifted an eyebrow at her request "Why?" he asked reasonably.

Kimiko pursed her lips in annoyance "To see if there is anything at all useful in there. A whole forest was chopped down to make those, it's a pity to leave them lying around. Everywhere. And I do mean everywhere" she said pointedly.

Jack rolled his eyes "There is nothing in this pile that could possibly be of any help. If you would kindly bring me the laptop on the other hand, I'm sure I could find something" he told her, pushing the papers away "I would get it myself" he added in mock helplessness "But I'm afraid I'm to weak to move".

Kimiko ungraciously went to recover his computer and handed it to him a little roughly "If they're useless, why do you keep them all?" she wanted to know, as she sat down on the bed and shuffled absently through the pile.

"They were all useful at some point, I'm just showing my gratitude by keeping them, instead of heartlessly throwing them away" Jack said.

It was Kimiko's turn to roll her eyes "You are such an incredible liar. Just admit you're too lazy to sort through them"

Jack shrugged and refused to answer, focusing instead on the computer screen. Kimiko resisted the urge to slap him. In an effort to distract herself from her violent state of mind, Kimiko wondered where Dojo had run off to. The thought did little to cheer her up- useless lizard. So she started to riffle through the papers more viciously.

Jack concealed a smile at her obvious irritation. She was so easy to rile up and so adorable when she was angry. His very own little spitfire. Or he would like her to be, Jack thought wryly. Honestly, he didn't really know where he stood with Kimiko at the moment and he was too big of a coward to find out. He sighed inwardly and returned to his researching.

Jack stared at the information displayed on the screen and frowned. It was very hard to decide what bits of it were accurate and what was utter bollocks. Actually all of it sounded like nonsense to him. He pursed his lips, even if it were all true he couldn't see how any of it would be useful.

It was very interesting to know that the Salamander was produced by burning a fire in the same place for seven years, but hardly helpful to his cause. It was also said that it would die if it came in contact with air, which was obviously a cruel lie. Then he stumbled on a debate as to what shape the Salamander really took, some claimed it was a wyrm, others that it was a fiery bird, one described it as a winged dog. He did a double take on that. Finally he found an accurate description '_an animal like a lizard in shape and with a body starred all over' _but then the man might well have been talking of a regular salamander. Vaguely Jack wondered if this Salamander was a reptile or an amphibian. It seemed a silly question even to himself so he returned to his work.

Everyone seemed to agree that it was poisonous. Extremely so. Whether the Salamander was cold enough to extinguish fire, or hot enough to live in it, they couldn't seem to agree on. Jack knew they were both right. Something at last caught his eye, he felt his hopes rising. A way to gain immunity against the Salamander's fire… was to douse one's self in Salamander blood. Jack grimaced in annoyance and disgust.

Jack stumbled over a passage that made him smile; apparently salamanders are "mischief-doers" and "should be killed". Jack heartily agreed. Unfortunately, he thought, he couldn't indulge in his whims.

Even old da Vinci seemed to have something to say about it, but it was about shedding and Jack felt no interest for it. With a frustrated noise he snapped the laptop shut.

Kimiko looked up from her own work "No luck?" she inquired.

Jack shook his head and gave a heartfelt sigh "Nothing useful in any case" and ignoring her protest got up and out of bed. He paced the room for five minutes before sitting down on the edge of the bed, with his elbows propped up on his knees.

After a few moments he spoke "Clearly the internet is not going to be of any use" he turned to face her "So we might as well do it the old fashion way"

Kimiko blinked at him "You mean, visit the public library?"

"Em, no, that would probably prove to be just as useless, so no. I was thinking more along the lines of brainstorming" Jack clarified.

Kimiko raised an eyebrow "Brainstorming? And where do you propose we start?"

Jack looked thoughtful for a moment "Let's start with how you'd trap a fire breathing amphibian" he suggested.

Kimiko nodded, having decided to play along for the sake of feeling useful "All right, how would you go about doing that?"

Jack stared off into space "First off" he said, sill looking into the distance "How hot would you say the flames were?"

Kimiko thought about it "Hot, devastatingly hot, maybe hot enough to melt metal"

"That is depressing" Jack said, his eyes settling on her "So much for hoping to use a cage… Not that I was thrilled with the prospect of placing a bit of cheese under a metal box and waiting for the Salamander to go under so I could pull the string"

"You know, I sort of doubt the Salamander would fall for that. Plus, I don't really think salamanders eat cheese" Kimiko said, smiling faintly.

Jack waved his hand in her direction "Metaphorically speaking I mean. But yeah. Let's look at the Salamander like it was a flame, a troublesome forest fire. How do you go about putting it out?"

"Clearly, fighting fire with fire is not an option" Kimiko murmured bitterly.

Jack gave her a sympathetic look "Sadly that is so. I imagine dumping sand on top of it won't help either"

"Water?" Kimiko suggested.

"I don't know, it is technically amphibian, they're supposed to love water, but then this is a fire elemental… I'm sorry it's all very confusing" He said, his shoulders sagging helplessly "It would also be a bit of a hassle getting that much water under the volcano"

"Or we could just call Omi" Kimiko offered.

Jack couldn't tell her just how much he disliked that notion, so he stayed quiet on the matter. "I could try actually shooting it" he mused aloud.

"You could, but we don't want to kill it" Kimiko said, and then an idea occurred to her "Stun guns maybe?"

Jack shook his head "That hide it's sporting looked pretty damn tough to me, I wouldn't be surprised if live bullets would bounce off, stunners would never stand a chance"

Kimiko was beginning to feel extremely put off by the whole things. Talking to Clay had made her feel allot better about the situation, but right now it seemed as hopeless as ever. She sighed and absently shuffled through the remaining papers.

"Maybe I could go home and try to make some very fire proof material… but that would take too long" He sighed again "And I don't want to march down there again without some kind of a plan. I mean I'd rather not go and experiment. That proved disastrous the first time around" Jack said dejectedly.

Kimiko looked down at the paper currently in her hands. She realized it was her own handwriting she was reading "Oh" she exclaimed, Jack looked up at her "It's the riddle" she smiled bitterly "It all seemed so very simple back then" she said and started to put it away.

"Give me that a second" Jack said, stopping her. Surprised Kimiko gave it to him. She saw his lips move as he read the lines. He frowned. "Child of fire" he read aloud "I wonder if it was referring to the Salamanders other form"

Kimiko didn't know what to say to that.

Then a strange thing happened, Jack's face seemed to literally light up "Kim" he announced, looking up "I think I've got it!" and he got up and circled the bed to sit down next to her.

He did so in his customary fashion, dropping down hard enough to lift her off the mattress and into the air for a brief moment. Kimiko was so surprised she didn't even glare at him "What?" was all she managed to say.

"It's in the riddle. God I've been so stupid, how could I have missed it?" He demanded of no one in particular.

Kimiko frowned a little at that, she had missed it as well.

"'To find the final resting place/Fire withers without air'" Jack recited "It's in the last two lines"

"Fire can't burn without oxygen" Kimiko thought aloud "If the Salamander is indeed a fire elemental then it needs fire to survive. So if we cut off its oxygen supply…"

"It'll snuff out and turn to rock or gold as it were. Come to think of it, didn't you say the glass casing it was in looked air-tight? And the thing didn't start moving until we got it out, thus exposing it to oxygen! And I have just the thing for the job!" Jack said excitedly.

Kimiko was staring at him with wide eyes "Jack, you're brilliant" she declared.

The words washed over him and it was suddenly too much for Jack. The frustration, the excitement… and she was so close and so beautiful. His mind went blank. Cowardice overpowered by more urgent desires, Jack dipped his head and kissed her.

Kimiko was, at first, surprised to find Jack's lips flush against hers, but her surprise was short lived and soon she was kissing him back.

When air became a pressing problem, Jack pulled away. And with the first molecules of O2 came rational thinking. And with that cowardice began to reassert itself. He shook his head as if to clear it "Sorry" he mumbled.

"'s okay" Kimiko answered, looking a little dazed.

Jack gave her a sideways look. She didn't look angry. In fact she looked charmingly flustered. Jack forced himself to look away. Now was definitely not the right time, he told himself firmly, so knock it out. Think Zen. Zen. But his treacherous thoughts kept straying; Kimiko was, after all, so close, and so soft and… He decided he was in a bad need of a cold shower.

Kimiko beat him to it and was the first to move into action "I'm going to go look for Dojo" she announced, not looking at him, and quickly made her way out of the room, leaving a stunned looking Jack sitting on the edge of the bed.

* * *

Kimiko walked briskly towards her own room, trying not to think of the events that just took place. Or the last part anyway. They had a way to catch the Salamander! She told herself. The thought sounded shrill and desperate even in hr head and Kimiko winced slightly.

And Jack had kissed her, came the unwanted continuation. Kimiko stopped in mid stride. It wasn't a big deal… she'd kissed him first after all. That might have given him the wrong idea. But was it the wrong idea, a voice whispered in her head, because at some point she seemed to have gotten the wrong idea and was kissing right back. Quite passionately as well.

Kimiko bit her lip in consternation. Whatever this was, what she and Jack were experiencing, was going somewhere very fast. And that somewhere, Kimiko knew, would cause many protests, from many people. Quite rightfully so. But then, she comforted herself, she'd always been rash.

The question that needed to be addressed was whether or not she should encourage this. Kimiko was alarmed at how much she wanted to. When had Jack managed to get under her skin like that?

Kimiko took a deep cleansing breath and started to walk again. The development was faintly alarming. But not disastrous, she reasoned. Really it wasn't such a big deal. People fall in love all the time. She almost tripped over her feet and landed face first on the floor as the thought hit her.

Kimiko sat down on the nearest surface that presented itself, which happened to be a low table. She almost groaned aloud, dropping her face in her hands. Why couldn't I find a nice, sweet, quiet boy, who preferably didn't have a record of theft, violence and attempts at world domination? She wailed to herself. What is it about bad-boys that is so bloody appealing? Granted, he wasn't really bad anymore, but there was a certain danger to him, in the way he smiled sometimes, or the way he looked at her.

It wasn't all bad. He was a doctor, sort of. Every girl wanted to date a doctor. Mothers wanted their daughters to marry doctors, right? It was perfectly acceptable. So this doctor used his own body to experiment, big deal.

Kimiko put a violent stop to this train of thought. Date? Marry? What the hell was she thinking?

Kimiko got up and resumed her search for Dojo, if only to distract her evidently delirious mind. When did she start using the mental pattern of a hormone ridden teenage girl? It was a sad development, because as a hormone ridden teenager Kimiko had never been quite so reckless in her choices. She was an adult for God's sake and she would deal with the situation like one.

She would have to meditate on it, thoroughly, weigh the pros and the cons and reach a sensible decision. There, she thought, easy.

Kimiko reached her room and pulled open the door. She stared. It was a sight to see, Obadiah and Dojo were sitting down, the former in a chair, the later on the table, amiably playing a game of poker. Kimiko closed the door and decided to do something else. A drink. She could do with a nice strong glass of something alcohol based.

* * *

Meanwhile Jack was feeling quite pleased with himself. After the initial shock of his actions he was beginning to see the bright side of things.

When he got down to the hotel bar for a celebratory drink, he was feeling down right optimistic. Until he stumbled over Kimiko, who was nursing a martini. She looked a little alarmed to find him there as well.

"Did you find Dojo?" Jack asked, grateful for the sudden inspiration that would hopefully deliver them from what could possibly develop into a very, very awkward moment.

A strange look passed over Kimiko's face "I did actually" she said slowly.

"You don't sound very pleased. Did something happen?" Jack asked leading her to a near by table. They sat down.

"Um… well. It's not bad, just… weird"

"Weird how?" Jack asked, quirking an eyebrow. He took a sip of his drink.

"Dojo and Obadiah were playing poker in my room" she said flatly.

Jack nearly sprayed out his drink. He choked on it instead "That is weird" he said after catching his breath.

Kimiko looked up at him "Yeah, you'd never think Obie was constantly threatening to turn Dojo into a wallet. Maybe we're just that boring" Kimiko hypothesized.

"_**That **_boring? That's terrible babe. Truly awful. If we're boring enough to get sworn enemies to amiably play poker… I just don't know what to say" Jack said, shaking his head.

And he looked so thoroughly distraught by the thought that Kimiko couldn't help but laugh. Why had she worried? It was impossible for things to get weird with Jack. They were weird enough already.

"Maybe we should get another drink" she said smiling "After all, we've had a breakthrough"

More than one, Jack thought privately, aloud he said "Yes we should. And after I'm sufficiently inebriated I'm going to call my assistant- who incidentally also acts as my accountant."

Kimiko raised an eyebrow "Why do you have to be drunk to do that?" Kimiko asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Trust me, if you're going to tell your accountant you destroyed a 500.000$ robotic limb, it's best to do it drunk" Jack assured her.

Kimiko only laughed and thought that the accountant might want to be drunk himself.

* * *

That evening Jack called his assistant. The conversation went a bit like this:

"Hey Mike, it's me. Yeah, I'm fine. You? Glad to hear it. Anyway I need you to ship some things over for me. Mhm. No, nothing big, but you should write it all down just in case. Ready? I need about fifty spy-bots with motion sensors installed" there was a short pause on the other end "Yes, fifty. The old ones? No, I broke most of them. Yes, I broke those too" Mike was getting a little loud at this pint and Jack had to push the phone a distance from his ears "Yes, I know some of them were prototypes. Oh and remember our Bubble-Traps? The ones that kept collapsing on themselves? Oh you think you found a way to fix that? That's nice but I need, oh, let's say three of the bad ones. Yes that's right. No, I'm not planning murder. Anyway. Now I don't want you to freak out, but I broke the arm. Sorry, no, it was the robotic one" There was silence on the other end "Mike? Dude? Still there? What? Yes, I'm well aware it cost half a million dollars. Don't think I did it on purpose. Are you crying? Well stop it, it's embarrassing. I still have the pieces, I'll send them over so you can try to salvage some of it" what might have been sobs could be heard from poor Mike "There, there, It's not the end of the world. So I want you to send me the other one. I understand that. I promise I'll be careful with it. More skin? Well, it wouldn't be the first time, besides I have a glove. Mhm. Oh yes, and I want a new cloak and a pair of goggles. You got all that? Good. Well, Good night!" and with that Jack cheerfully hung up on his apoplectic assistant.

Kimiko, the sole witness to this conversation watched Jack with a mix of horror and admiration. She fervently hoped Mike didn't have a family history of cardiac problems.

* * *

888

I got some fluff in there, it wasn't too much, but you know, every little bit counts. And because somebody asked, I think it was Dancing Queen, if I was going to make a sequel. The answer is, Yes, I do intend to write a collection of one shots, that'll be a continuation of this story. About the story, I think two more chapters. Guess I'm going to hit the twenty mark after all.

Read and Review please!


	19. Chapter 18 Plotting and Scheming

I'm going to start this by simply saying:

**Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry so, so, sorry!**

Really I am! I know how much I hate waiting for chapters, so I feel for you!

I wonder if anyone will stab me after reading this chapter. Hmmm. Maybe I should consider chainmail…

The count went up, there will be at least two more chapters after this.

Now it's time for a great big THANK YOU for my long-suffering readers.

**Thank you**:

ArmoredSoul, Jason C, Dancing Queen, badkidoh, Kattsumi-zhao Yamamoto, Shadir

Marshmallowsox: your review made me die a little inside when I read it. I was flattered and shamed at the same time.

Wolfinson: It's true. I'm an idiot. I got them completely reversed in my head… my brain shuts down on me every now and then. I went back and fixed it. Thanks for telling me about it.

Lettucequeen – Wow, this was definitely the longest review I ever got. Thanks for telling me about the typos. They sometimes slip, and because "allot" and "loose" are actual words, MWord doesn't poke me about them *sigh* Funny you should mention the lizard thing :D I actually started feeling a little guilty for always calling the Salamander a lizard, seeing as how the real salamander is in fact an amphibian, so I addressed the matter in chapter 18. I kept calling it a "lizard" because it rolls off the tongue easier than "amphibian" … I feel so shallow *cough* also because the word "amphibian" always makes me think of water and I didn't find it appropriate considering the circumstances. I was quite sad because your review wasn't signed; I wanted to answer you sooner because I'm a sucker for constructive criticism.

Naaaaw I love you guys, I now have over 100 reviews. I'm so proud I could cry.

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Don't sue me!

Also, I don't share Obadiah's opinion. I love the French! So please, don't take offense, it wasn't intended!

888

* * *

Chapter 19 - Plotting and scheming

* * *

It came as a surprise to Kimiko that they would, in fact, have to wait for all of the equipment to be shipped. It was probably because of all the time spent in Jack's company, but she had half expected the goods to be teleported over; but reality wasn't that accommodating and it decreed that they would have to wait for a couple of days at least. This left them with allot of time to kill.

Jack took an unusual approach to this.

* * *

Kimiko ignored Jack as he stood skulking discretely in the background. She couldn't help but notice how weird he was behaving. She thought about that for a moment, as Jack usually tended to act a bit peculiar. He was acting weird-er, she conceded after giving the matter some thought. In truth, Jack was reminding her of his younger days, back when he was constantly scheming something or other. Kimiko watched warily as a brief look of illumination crossed his face and Jack disappeared around a corner. She shook her head slowly from side to side, her expression one of worry.

Kimiko was , in fact, right in her assumptions, Jack was spending his time scheming and plotting. Though Kimiko was correct in her suspicions, she couldn't begin to imagine the purpose of the man's plan.

It had all started with a phone call.

It was only after the last discussion with his assistant that Jack realized just how out of touch with the world he had become. The only notion of time that he still possessed was the vague impression that it was winter. He was quite surprised to learn that Christmas was only weeks away. He actually felt quite stupid for not noticing the ostentatious Christmas lights and decorations that were scattered all over the hotel, not to mention the blaring holiday atmosphere present everywhere.

Jack sat on his bed staring wide-eyed into space, lost in contemplation. This, it became obvious to him, was a once in a life time golden opportunity. With Paris, city of lights, capital of romance, only a rock throw away, it was too good an opportunity; a chance to secure a date with Kimiko. He only had to plan it right; and so, taking advantage of all the spare time he had on his hands as he waited for his shipment to arrive, Jack dedicated this time to intense plotting and scheming.

Steps had to be taken. He started by locking himself in his room – it was a matter that required utmost secrecy. Calls were made, Jack employed threats and shameless flattery by turns and when all else failed he turned to full on bribery; a restaurant reservation on so short a notice was no easy thing to get, especially so close to the holidays. When ideas failed him, Jack left his make-shift base of operations and stalked after Kimiko in hopes of gaining inspiration. All of this was done as stealthily and unobtrusively as possible and with great discretion, lest the lady in question should suspect anything; the obvious and rather predictable result was Kimiko becoming highly suspicious of him.

Jack went over the plan one more time in his head, mentally checking off items on the imaginary list he kept. There were still a couple of things that could potentially go wrong, but for the most part the plan seemed foolproof. The only thing left to do was breaking this to Kimiko and presenting it in the best possible light, making it impossible to refuse. This was one of the "things that could go wrong", as their relationship was still a bit tentative to say the least; and just like that, doubts began to settle in and fear started to unfold in the pit of Jack's stomach, making him nervous.

Jack gave himself a sharp slap across the face to distract himself from any treacherous thoughts. It was perhaps not so wise that he decided to do so while he and Kimiko were sharing breakfast in the hotel's restaurant.

Starting in surprise, Kimiko gave him a strange look "Are you feeling alright Jack?" she asked slowly "You remembered to tell the cook not to put any peanuts in your food?" she frowned and peered closely at him.

Jack blushed in embarrassment, leaning backwards and waving his hand in front of him nervously "No! I'm fine it- erm, uh, it was an…uh…a mosquito! Yes a mosquito, very annoying, buzzing about" he stammered.

Kimiko gave him a skeptical look "A mosquito? In winter?"

Jack shrugged "Stranger things have happened" he replied evasively, hoping she'd let it go. With no small amount of disgust Jack realized that the harder he tried to get Kimiko to like him the more of a pathetic mess he became. He lamented the unfairness of it and hoped it didn't show too much.

Kimiko blinked "I suppose" and having reached that conclusion she returned to her meal. She threw him a quick look every now and then, checking for any signs of spontaneous swelling.

Jack allowed himself a quick sigh of relief. It had been a close brush with a "could go wrong" moment. However now was the time to be strong and plunge on- he had the brief image of a medieval knight mounted on a horse bellowing an inspiring speech of might, valor and glory and urging him on into battle. He blinked to dispel the faintly disturbing and completely irrelevant image. "Say, Kim" he began, trying his hardest to sound nonchalant "Do you know what's the date today?" there, he thought, smooth and unassuming.

Kimiko looked up from her plate, seemingly a bit taken aback by the sudden question "Um, you know, I'm not actually sure, I'm thinking somewhere in December, on account of all these Christmas decorations and stuff" she said gesturing around her at the overly embellished room.

Jack felt a momentary pang of annoyance, so even Kimiko had picked up on those, what was wrong with him, was he really that dense? "Yeah, that's about right, I actually only just realized that" he said, recovering "And I was thinking, Paris is an absolute joy to behold at this time of the year and you know, seeing as how we've been under a whole lot of pressure, in my case literally, lately, I thought we might give ourselves a little break and go out. Today. Tonight. This evening. What do you think?" as he took a deep breath of air, Jack quickly ran over the little speech in his head and resisted the urge to slap himself again, could he get any more rushed and convoluted?

It's true that upon meeting an acquaintance from their past, people tend to revert to the person they were at that time, in an unconscious effort to reestablish relationships; as a result old and forgotten habits resurface, embarrassing speech patterns reemerge as the past catches up. Jack was painfully aware of this process as he seemed to be transforming at an alarming rate into his old self. All the years spent in therapy were neatly washed away by this absurd quirk of the human nature and he was becoming the twitchy, neurotic, sociopathic, mildly-insane mess of his adolescent years. He could be cool and smooth and charming with anyone else, but when he came face to face with Kimiko, Jack's neatly put together façade crumbled to pieces.

Kimiko sorted through the mass of jumbled words, privately admiring his ability to get all that out in one breath. As the meaning finally became clear to her, Kimiko's eyebrows shot up "You want us to go out on a date in Paris?" she asked, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice.

Jack's blood drained from his face, only to come back with reinforcements and his courage migrated south "A date!? No! I mean, no, I mean all of us" he babbled gesturing wildly with his hand "with Obie and the dragon… and stuff" he finished lamely. He really, really wanted to slap himself.

Kimiko was increasingly weirded out by Jack, she nodded slowly, thinking that any abrupt motions might send him into a wild frenzy "Okay, I'm sure Dojo would like that" and by saying that Kimiko unintentionally and with complete innocence crushed Jack's feelings.

Jack nearly bit his tongue in half in an effort to keep from whimpering, he gave a stiff nod and just as stiffly replied "Good. Glad to hear it" then he proceeded to stuff his mouth with food, to appear casual. That, he hypothesized, was a full-on collision with a "could go wrong" moment and was now an "it went so terribly, horribly wrong" situation.

Jack knew it was time to regroup. As he chewed the overly enthusiastic helping of food, he planed his next move, desperately trying to think up a way to fix the situation. Dojo was the last thing he needed if he wanted to have some private time with Kimiko. Obadiah he didn't have to worry about, he'd simply forget to mention it to the man and since he tended to disappear for extended periods of time, Jack decided that he didn't have to worry about Kimiko inviting the old man. Dojo on the other hand was sure to be lying about, just waiting for Kimiko to stumble over him - the scaly bastard.

There was only one thing to be done, Jack surmised, he had to keep Kimiko and the dragon away form one another. This proved to be tricky and required Jack to constantly follow Kimiko around. This, for some reason, seemed to annoy the girl. Finally she turned on her would be stalker, almost causing Jack to run her over. She glared at him "I know you're bored and have nothing better to do, but I swear Jack, if you don't go away right now I am going to inflict bodily harm on you"

Flinching at her tone Jack took a careful step backwards, then as her eyes narrowed further, he decided to do as instructed and fled as fast as dignity would allow. Her voice followed him as he rounded the nearest corner "And stop following me!"

Since that approach failed, Jack decided to tail the dragon instead. This was a more tedious job as he had to find Dojo first. He stomped unsuccessfully up and down the hotel hallways, poking his head through any door that would open –which incidentally led to some embarrassing encounters Jack furiously tried not to commit to memory. For being sworn classics, the French were very creative in certain areas.

After what felt like hours of searching Jack found Dojo happily browsing through the kitchen's supply store. By then Jack was in a moderately foul mood, having had to deal with a couple of irate cooks who did not appreciate his presence in their kitchen. The French take that very seriously. His eye twitched slightly as he watched the dragon devour anything within his reach "What are you doing?" Jack grated through clenched teeth.

Dojo didn't ever bother to look up "I'm obviously eating" he replied testily.

Jack's one hand twitched spasmodically "Why don't you take whatever you want and then we go up to my room before anyone walks in and finds you here" he suggested sweetly.

Dojo turned his serpentine body slowly around "And why would I do that?" he asked with undisguised suspicion.

"Because there would be screaming and fainting and possibly closing down the kitchen on account of vermin infestation if anyone found you here" Jack answered sensibly.

Dojo rolled his slitted eyes "No. Why would I go to your room? In case it somehow slipped your mind, you and me, we don't get along so well. It might have something to do with you being a slimy, sniveling, whiny brat"

Jack's eye twitched violently. If he brained the annoying thing, Kimiko wouldn't accidentally run into him… of course, she might wonder at the dragon's prolonged absence and that would be a little hard to explain. By sheer power of will, Jack managed to not commit murder "Think of it as a peace offering, me attempting to mend my slimy, sniveling ways" he said said, forcing a smile.

"Riiiiiight" Dojo rolled his eyes, clearly not buying it "Also, you forgot whiny"

Jack snapped "Look, you can either stay here and munch on herbs and roots, or you can follow me and I'll order anything you want from room service"

Dojo's eyes widened greedily "Anything?" he repeated speculatively. He tapped his scaly chin with a talon thoughtfully "Okay, if I also get your computer… and your room"

"Yeah, fine whatev- wait, what? What do you mean "my room" ?" Jack demanded.

Dojo treated Jack to a chill reptilian smile "Look, clearly you're trying to get me out of the way, for some reason or another. I don't really care. Bribing me with food won't cut it. If you toss in the computer and the room, then we're talking. Yes, and by that I mean that I get your room and you go crash somewhere else, in one of the armchairs down in reception for all I care"

Jack blinked at the obvious extortion, then smiled an equally chilly smile "I was hoping not to have to resort to this… but you leave me no choice" from his pocket he pulled out a piece of paper and held it out for the dragon to see.

Dojo gasped in shock and rage "Master Fung! You stole him!" he accused.

Jack smirked evilly "Why, so I did and I have no qualms whatsoever about tearing, burning, soaking, staining or otherwise maiming this photograph" he paused for effect, intently fixing his eyes on the enraged dragon "Unless, of course, you decide to cooperate and go sit quietly in my room- happily enjoying a nice meal, given to you from the kindness of my heart- room which you will then vacate as soon as I return to the hotel" Jack said pleasantly.

When Dojo seemed about to protest, Jack waved the photograph threateningly and slowly brought it to his lips pinching a corner between his teeth. He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

The dragon recoiled "Don't!" he cried pitifully, dropping his head in defeat "I'll do anything you want, just don't hurt him" he pleaded.

"Good" Jack said, pocketing the photo once again "Now hop on like a good boy, and if I were you I wouldn't try anything rash" he threatened "stabbing a finger through Master Fung's face is not beneath me"

* * *

"Too easy" Jack muttered to himself as he locked the door to his room behind him. He wasn't surprised to find that the sun was already setting. It was time to find Kimiko.

It turned out Kimiko had been looking for him as well "Jack, finally! Where have you been? Never mind, look I need to ask, where exactly are we going? Is it somewhere casual, or somewhere formal? Though in Paris casual is still sort of formal, French people are strange like that. So?" she stopped her rambling and looked expectantly at him.

"Err… sort of formal, I guess?" Jack wagered.

Kimiko frowned "That's going to be a problem then. See, I only had one dress along with me, and I'm afraid it had a rather cruel fate, being used as a dust rag you will remember, which leaves me formal attire-less so to speak" she informed him, shrugging helplessly.

Jack's shoulders sagged in relief "Oh babe, don't scare me like that, when you rushed up to me I thought something serious might have come up" he said, foolishly perhaps.

Kimiko's eyes narrowed dangerously "I beg you pardon?" she said, her tone frosty. Kimiko was a girl who took clothes very seriously.

Realizing his error, Jack rushed to corrected "What I meant to say, is that I have that covered" seeing Kimiko's look of incomprehension Jack decide some elaboration was needed "I actually have a dress with me"

Kimiko's face went completely blank at that last comment. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before she managed to speak "Um, right" she said trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible.

Jack frowned in puzzlement at her tone then turned beet red as he ran over the exchange in his head. "Oh no! No! That came out wrong. I brought it for you, in case you didn't bring one for yourself. For the Villers-Cotterets party!" the words tumbled over each other in his rush to get them out. Jack's brain seemed unable to cope with the situation after that and he simply stared at Kimiko in mute, impotent horror.

A minute passed in uncomfortable silence "The dress?" Kimiko prompted gently.

"I'm sorry, I need a moment" Jack said still staring wide eyed at the carpet. After a long second, Jack finally shook himself into a semblance of normality "The dress, yes. I'm not certain of the fit, but I think it's pretty close. Do you want to see it?" In the privacy of his head, Jack was still freaking out. What did this girl think of him?!

"Yes!" Kimiko said with exaggerated eagerness, trying to compensate for the previous moment of intense awkwardness.

"I'll go get the dress and we'll meet back in your room so you can actually try it on" Jack suggested a little to fast. Kimiko nodded and they both hurried on their separate ways, only too glad to break up the moment.

Jack walked to his room with slow, resigned steps, like a man on death row. That disastrous conversation had not been part of his plan and it seriously crushed his morale. Nothing crushes morale quite like the girl your trying to get a date with thinking you're a drag queen in your spare time. Pulling himself together with what felt like a superhuman effort, Jack managed to resist the urge to cower and hide in his room and instead picked up the dress and went to meet Kimiko.

Once they were both inside Kimiko's room, Jack handed her a slim package "Here, I hope you like it" he said shortly.

Kimiko took it from his hands and unceremoniously ripped through the wrapping. Carefully she unfolded the dress and held it out at arms length to inspect it. It was a knee length baby-doll, blue dress; it was covered in delicate looking black lace, the sleeves were long and bell shaped, made only of lace, creating a very pleasing elegant effect.

Kimiko stared at it for a moment longer before turning to Jack who was watching her anxiously "Oh Jack, it's beautiful" she told him earnestly.

A smirk made it's way to Jack's face even as his posture relaxed "You like it then, that's good, I hate to admit it, but I was a tiny bit nervous you wouldn't" Jack didn't feel there was a need to tell Kimiko about the many hours he spent browsing through fashion magazines, searching for the perfect dress.

Kimiko grinned at him "I'll go try it on" she said, giving his hand a quick squeeze as she passed by him on her way to the bathroom.

"You getting this dress for me is considered over-planning, you realize?" Kimiko said as she shrugged out of her clothes. She had to raise her voice to make herself heard beyond the bathroom door, even so, her words came out a little muffled.

Jack's eyebrows shot up in amusement; he was leaning against the wall, next to the door "Over-planning? Nonsense. I figured that if nothing else, if I ever got you pissed with me I could bribe you into forgiving me with that dress"

Kimiko laughed "That's over-planning, not to mention over thinking. I do admire your tenacity"

The door opened and Kimiko reentered the room "It's lovely, Jack" she assured him, smiling brilliantly and performing a small pirouette "A little bit loose, but nothing serious"

After overcoming the initial moment of irrational pleasure at beholding Kimiko in the dress he'd picked out, Jack gave the garment a critical look "Nothing that can't be fixed with a needle and a bit of string" Jack muttered mostly to himself, and then, after digging through a pocket he produced a mini-sewing kit.

Kimiko blinked "I'll be honest with you. I did not expect that"

Jack's lips turned into a faint, ironic smile "I'm surprised you're surprised by that" he felt a little bit better when he saw Kimiko blush in embarrassment "Anyway, everybody should carry one of these; you never know when it might come in handy"

Kimiko couldn't think of anything to say to that, since it was probably true. She remembered all the clothes she'd ripped during missions, some of them were mighty embarrassing rips to boot, and how she'd have traded a Wu for thread and needle in those moments.

"Um…could you?" Jack interrupted her train of thought. He stood before her, holding out a roll of black thread and a needle. Kimiko blinked stupidly at him. Jack rolled his eyes "I can't exactly thread the needle with only one hand"

"Oh…right. Sorry, I wasn't thinking" she said blushing and threaded the needle for him.

Dropping into a crouch, Jack went to work on the dress. Kimiko tensed reflexively in response to a sharp metal object so close to her skin. Jack proved to be remarkably fast and before her imagination had time to think up any really disturbing needle-involved accidents, he was done. "There" he declared, looking pleased with himself "Perfect"

"Thanks" Kimiko said, running her hands over her now perfectly fitted dress. Then because Jack looked unreasonably smug, Kimiko added "Oh, I almost forgot! Have you seen Dojo? I need to tell him we're all going out"

A look of baffled innocence dawned upon Jack's face "No idea where he might be, maybe he's with Obie" he offered.

"Where's Obie?"

"No idea"

Kimiko suppressed a smile. Jack, of course had no idea just how transparent he really was.

"Go look for them while I get ready. You should probably change as well" she suggested keeping a perfectly straight face.

"Right. Oh, before I forget, you should wear something warm over that, it's really cold outside" he told Kimiko over his shoulder.

* * *

Jack walked the hallway to his room, a spring in his step. He was almost giddy with excitement. There had been a couple of bumps along the way, but overall Jack thought he performed admirably and the result was beyond satisfying. Jack punched his fist in the air, sweet victory at last.

Jack skidded to an abrupt halt, his arm frozen in mid punch. His arm. He blanched, all sense of victory rapidly disintegrating. An anguished look spread across Jack's face; he had planed the evening to a t, he knew exactly where he would take Kimiko: he would drive them to Paris, a conveniently short drive ,there they'd first have dinner at a famous restaurant, then he'd take her to the Christmas markets where they would share roasted chestnuts and vin chaud, then they'd maybe go skating or just walking around the beautifully decorated streets of Paris. The plan was perfect, except for one single, tiny, minor detail he hadn't taken into account. One armed driving would probably prove tricky, not to mention that it was probably frowned upon by the authorities.

Jack felt his knees try to buckle under him. How could he possibly forget something as huge as that? It was not like he wasn't constantly reminded of his handicap. He was so used to having both arms, that he never even realized that there would be certain things he would not be able to do. "Stupid, stupid, stupid" he groaned out loud. What was it with him and vital details? Panic seized him, what would he do now? Jack looked around him in agitation at the floor and walls, hoping perhaps that they might have an answer. Unexpectedly, inspiration struck. Jack knew exactly what he had to do.

A few minutes later, Jack could be seen running up and down the hotel hallways, one handedly trying to button his shirt, fasten his bow tie and fix his hair, while carrying his coat. The desperate nature of his predicament had convinced him that a change of plans was needed; having acknowledged that, Jack was now scouring the hotel for Obadiah. The man's habit of disappearing, which he'd found so very convenient only hours before, was now annoying him to no end.

Jack finally stumbled over the man on the third floor, Obadiah was intently examining an electric panel. Jack came to a stop wheezing and panting, struggling to catch his breath. Obadiah having noticed him, now watched Jack questioningly.

"Obie- I need your help" Jack said, finally managing to straighten up.

Obadiah waited for him to continue, he's face immobile.

"I'm…err" to his extreme embarrassment, Jack found himself blushing. He found it extremely difficult to say this to his old driver for some reason. He started fidgeting.

"What is it son?" Obadiah asked, his voice sounding the tiniest bit concerned. Jack cringed inwardly, Obadiah only called him "son" when he felt Jack was acting especially peculiar.

"I'm taking Kimiko out on a date and I need you to drive" he said, his words coming out in a rushed mumble. He couldn't look at the man in the face, he felt so ridiculous.

Staring hard at the carpet, Jack didn't see Obadiah's bushy eyebrows shoot up in surprise, nor did he see the delighted smile that bloomed on the man's haggard face. Quickly stamping out any trace of emotion from his face, Obadiah cleared his throat to get Jack's attention.

Jack looked up, silently wondering why he was acting like a stupid teenager. He made an effort to right himself, as Obie's uncompromising stare bore into him. Jack found he couldn't quite read the man's expression, which was odd; Jack had been able to read Obadiah like an open book for the past ten years. Jack found he didn't much enjoy surprises anymore. "Well?" he demanded anxiously.

"Where do you want to go?" Obadiah asked, his gruff voice giving nothing away.

That was it, Jack thought, Obie never hid his opinions on anything before, why did he do it now? It worried Jack "Paris" he answered, giving his driver a hard look. A thought occurred to him "Do you want to come too?" Jack asked a little dubiously.

Obadiah snorted loudly "Hell no. I can guess what you have in mind boy, I've no intention in participating in it" he said flatly, giving his head a firm shake.

Jack had to stop himself from sighing in relief. He frowned as another thought crossed his mind "You don't like Kimiko?" he asked, trying to keep his voice from sounding defensive.

"Boy, that girl is the best thing that ever happened to you. She has good sense and knows how to keep you on your toes and out of the trouble you usually land yourself in, if you live to be forty it will be because of her. If you mess this up, I will personally give you a sound trashing" Obadiah told him with more vehemence than Jack thought was strictly necessary. Where was the trust?

Jack flinched at the man's words "There's a pep talk. Were you trying to boost my confidence? Because if that's what you were aiming for you failed spectacularly" Jack replied acidly. Why was everyone trying to demoralize him tonight?

"It's tough love, my boy" Obadiah told him, his face perfectly straight.

Jack glared at him. Tearing his eyes away from the offensive man he focused on trying to button his shirt. He growled irritably at the uncooperative material.

Taking pity on him, or perhaps having become exasperated, Obadiah moved in and took over, his rough old hands moving with surprising dexterity, as he fastened the buttons and tied the bow tied while simultaneously smoothing out any creases. He helped Jack into his coat. Surveying his handiwork, Obadiah gave a satisfied nod; his eyes swept up to Jack's unruly hair, a speculative look on his face.

Jack took action by that point "Don't even think about it" he said holding up a finger.

As the two men climbed down the stairs towards the lobby, Obadiah suddenly spoke "I'm surprised you didn't come to me earlier about this. You're usually pretty excessive in your planning; while somewhat ineffective, despite your best efforts" He added thoughtfully.

Jack might have given a biting remark to that if he hadn't been busy praying that Obadiah wouldn't pursue that train of thought to its inevitable conclusion.

It seemed that after granting Jack his date with Kimiko, the Universe felt compelled to shower him with misfortune, just to keep the balance going. Obadiah's step faltered for a split second, before he resumed his stride and Jack could just hear the Astral Energies roaring with laughter at his expense.

To his credit, Obadiah didn't mention Jack's embarrassing slip. He did however give the red head a look that communicated more than words could ever hope to, he then shook his head with an insulting air of resignation that Jack found particularly insulting. Jack blushed furiously, quietly hating the old man.

His dark mood evaporated like dew in the morning sun when his eyes picked out Kimiko waiting for him. She smiled at the pair as they approached "Obadiah!" she exclaimed delightedly "You will be joining us then?" she asked.

A look of disgust crossed the one eyed man's face.

Jack nearly tripped over his own feet at the girl's innocent question, his eyes darted to Obadiah wondering if the man would unwittingly rat him out.

"Girl, there's nothing I hate more than a bunch of snobby rich-ass Frenchies, crowded together, gorging on expensive messed up dishes with funny names and even funnier ingredients, than having to fraternize with them" Obadiah grunted, spitting on the ground to drive his point home.

Jack blinked. Either the man knew Jack well enough to guess that he hadn't told Kimiko about the date, or he simply hated the French that much that he felt the need to periodically express it verbally. After giving it some thought, Jack decided it was probably both.

Kimiko seemed a bit taken aback by Obadiah's unexpected vehemence, wisely she didn't pursue the matter and let it drop with good grace "That's a shame, we'll miss you there" she said, hoping she didn't sound as stupid as she felt.

Obadiah grunted, seemingly appeased. He moved to open the passenger seat door for Jack and Kimiko. Gallantly, Jack handed Kimiko in before sliding in after her. Kimiko treated him to an amused smile.

"My, my, aren't we looking sharp" she said, playfully flicking his bowtie.

Kimiko, Jack thought, looked particularly lovely with her raven hair tied back in a loose knot "Oh, you know, had it lying around, figured I'd just toss it on" he answered, giving a small dismissive shrug. Kimiko rolled her eyes at him.

Jack allowed his eyes to trail up and down over Kimiko's figure "You my dear look absolutely… " he trailed off, pretending to search for an adjective.

Kimiko's eyebrows lifted and a wry smiled turned her lips "Beautiful? Ravishing? Exquisite?" she suggested.

Jack gave a half shrug "I was going to say 'disgusting' but if that makes you happy- Ow!" he laughed as he tried to pull out of Kimiko's punching range.

Kimiko's mouth fell open "Oh you big jerk!" she cried laughingly, stretching out to whack him for the insult "You take that back!"

Pressed up against the car door, with nowhere to go, Jack admitted defeat "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! No more hitting" then to improve his chances he gave Kimiko his best puppy dog eyes "I bruise easily" he added thrusting out his lower lip and making it tremble.

Kimiko pulled back, crossing her arms over her chest "Now that's disgusting" she remarked.

Jack smiled resuming his seat "You look lovely" he assured Kimiko, meaning every word.

Kimiko cast her eyes down demurely "Thank you" she answered looking at him from beneath lowered eyelashes.

Jack's throat suddenly felt dry. There was no reasonable reason why her eyes should look so hypnotizing, but he found he simply could not look away.

He was released from his, rather pleasant, paralysis by Obadiah's gruff voice "Are you kids ready back there? I'd rather not waste all night sitting in a parking lot" he complained impatiently.

"What? You were waiting for confirmation?" Jack asked a little more sharply than he intended, he was somewhat annoyed at the interruption.

Obadiah's facial expression didn't suffer any alteration that Kimiko could detect, but something must have happened because Jack suddenly paled "I mean, yes, we're ready" he answered quickly.

"Good" was Obadiah's only answer, as he turned and started up the car.

Jack exhaled "Scary" he breathed, so that only Kimiko could hear.

Kimiko raised an eyebrow "What was?"

Jack turned his head to give her a strange look "That look he had on his face. You know something ominous is brewing when Obie gets that look"

Kimiko stared at him in bafflement "What look?"

Jack simply looked at her as if she were crazy.

"What?" she asked, feeling left out of the loop.

Jack slowly shook his head from side to side. Reaching out he covered one of her hands with his "I fear for your safety" was his only answer.

Kimiko stared at him for a moment "You do know you are insane right?"

This remark seemed to please Jack for some reason. Smiling he relaxed against his seat and only shrugged in reply.

Kimiko stared forward "Invisible look of doom. Honestly" she muttered, her words laced with disbelief.

Jack patted her hand "Don't worry, you'll get used to it" he said reassuringly.

"Do I really want to? It sounds dangerous. And do you think he can hear us?" Kimiko wondered aloud.

Both Kimiko and Jack turned their heads to look at the driver. Obadiah met their eyes in the rear view mirror. Words never seemed to be necessary with Obie.

Like chastised children, the two sank back in their seats, heads lowered in shame. Whether it was because of Obadiah overhearing, or at having such an embarrassing reaction to his overhearing, they were undecided.

There was one thing Jack was certain of, as long as Obie was around there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that a romantic situation would arise.

* * *

888

I'm sure Jack, as well as you, my readers, can barely wait for Obie to get out of the picture XD Poor guy, no wonder he's grumpy all the time.

I promise fluff and romance in the next chapter :) so hang on!

Read&Review is always appreciated.


	20. Chapter 19 Zen

Thank you everybody who reviewed and fav-ed my story, I'm so, so grateful to you guys. It also made me really happy to hear that some of you found the previous chapter funny  weeeeeeee!

AnaXaver: Hmmm, I don't know... some really tough kind of plastic? Think X-men (lol) what they made the weapons and sentinels out of, so Magneto couldn't wreck `em – Oh God, I can't believe I'm referencing that.

You wouldn't believe how much research went into choosing the perfect restaurant. Also I learned that the non-smoking law has been voted in France (which is awesome), so no more smoking inside restaurants and cafés and stuff; but I took some artistic liberties here so please don't hurt me.

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Mhm.

888

* * *

Chapter 19 – Zen

* * *

"You can drop us off here, thanks" Jack said, pointing to the nearest sidewalk, and trying not to sound too relieved. He was grateful to Obadiah for helping him out, but the man was a complete mood killer. The entire drive over had been done in utter silence, with Kimiko standing at a respectable one foot distance from him.

Obadiah grumbled his agreement and pulled over without delay. Obie didn't look too comfortable himself, at least judging by his reflection in the rear view mirror Jack happened to catch; Obadiah looked as happy to be rid of them as Jack felt to be rid of his chauffer. For some reason this made Jack feel a little insulted.

Still, as soon as the car came to a stop, Jack was scrambling to get out. He grabbed at his coat –which Obadiah had thoughtfully provided- and a green scarf and raced to hold the door open for Kimiko, while trying to shrug into the aforementioned coat; it was very cold.

For some reason she seemed amused; she grinned at him as she got out of the car "If you carry on like that, you'll wear yourself out by the end of dinner, and I expect to be entertained tonight." Kimiko remarked playfully, and before Jack knew what was going on, she took the scarf from his hand and, standing on her tiptoes, artfully draped it over his shoulders "Well, aren't you just working that black and green?" she smirked smoothing out any creases in the fabric.

To hide his momentary embarrassment at her unexpected actions, Jack bent down to bid Obadiah good night, and was quite understandably mortified when the older man gave him a knowing and entirely too saucy wink. Stiffly Jack retracted his head from the car and slammed the door shut, his face matching the color of his scarf. Without a second glance at car or man, Jack turned on his heel and guided Kimiko away.

"Are you okay?" Kimiko asked, noticing the greenish tint to his skin.

Jack gulped "Yeah, but I think I saw something I shouldn't have" he gave his head a quick shake, as if to dispel the mental image. He was in sore need of a distraction.

Jack cast his eyes upwards to the darkening sky and noticed the massing clouds, 'Maybe it'll snow' he thought hopefully, a white Christmas in Paris would be absolutely ideal. He was abruptly jolted to a stop when Kimiko yanked on his arm. Jack looked down questioningly at her.

"Where are you rushing to?" she asked, frowning a little. Jack's strides were much longer than hers, so in order to keep up with him she virtually had to jog.

Jack blinked "Nowhere really, it's just that-" he stopped there, thinking that Kimiko didn't need to know about that less than subtle wink " –just that it's pretty cold out here and I thought that the sooner we get there the better"

Kimiko cocked an eyebrow "And where exactly is "There"?"

"Why, the restaurant of course. It simply wouldn't do to start the evening on empty stomachs, now would it?" Jack answered cheerfully. The sudden exceptionally good mood was due to the fact that Kimiko was still hanging on to his arm. One could, of course, think that she was doing so to prevent him from breaking out into a half-run again, but Jack was in an optimistic state of mind.

Kimiko laughed "Oh Jack, you are such a dude. Even when you're out on a date, the first thing on your mind is your stomach. A lesser girl would be insulted"

Jack's first reaction was to deny her claim. He opened his mouth to object, that this was in fact not a date, but thought better of it. What was the point? Since Kimiko seemed so comfortable with the idea? He settled instead for smiling benignly and shrugging his shoulders. He was too happy for words.

Kimiko's curious streak however had other plans "What restaurant?" she wanted to know.

Jack considered her question "It's a secret" he answered as infuriatingly as possible.

On queue Kimkio scowled up at him "You're hateful, you know that right?"

Jack raised an eyebrow "It's your own fault you know" he informed her calmly.

Kimiko gave him a blank look "Oh really? And why is that? Because I'm so gosh-darned curious?" she asked, imitating Clay's Texan accent.

Jack cocked his head to the side, as if considering "That does actually make things more fun" then, refocusing on her "But no. It's cause you're so damn cute when you get angry. You're like a vicious little kitty, thinking about using me as a scratch post. Call me masochistic, but I find that sexy" he said, wiggling his eyebrows in an outrageous manner.

Kimiko pulled a face "Kitty? Like Cat-nappe?" she asked pushing away slightly.

Jack's lip curled in disgust "Oh God no!" he exclaimed with feeling "**_That_** was just wrong"

Kimiko relaxed against him "Oh good then. I commend you on your excellent taste" she answered with a superior smile directed upwards at him. "How is she though?" she asked suddenly.

Jack shrugged "I'm not sure actually, but there's only a couple of ways Ashley could have went, so either she's a burglar or she's opened up a farm and is raising genetically altered cats for some nefarious purpose or another"

Kimiko laughed "That's so mean! And I don't think you call them cat-farms"

Jack grinned "It's true though. Why are we talking about her anyway? I'm halfway certain we can come up with a less disturbing topic"

"To be fair, our history together is pretty twisted. It's your war-buddies I blame for that. Seriously, you had an evil ghost-turned witch, the embodiment of evil who turns into a dragon, the batty cat lady, and the most disgusting Russian man ever to be conceived" Kimiko pointed out.

"Well, granted, they were an odd bunch – and Ivan wasn't that ugly…. He was just…um, exotic?" upon encountering Kimiko's look of disbelief Jack had to concede "Alright, fine, he was completely hideous. But you know, you Dragons weren't all that great either. You may not have been as disturbing as we were, but you were drop-dead boooooring." He ignored her shocked gasp "You were walking, talking stereotypes of the good guys. Take Clay for example, big, blonde, gentle giant with a Texan accent, I mean please. Don't even get me started on Raimond-or-what's-his-name, and you babe, a different hair style every day, seriously? You weren't boring, but seriously? Actually the only interesting guy was Omi. He was your saving grace" Jack finished, nodding knowledgeably.

Kimiko snorted at his unconvincing arguments "He's getting married you know, Clay I mean"

Jack's eyebrows shot up "Really? Well! Good for him. His wife is going to have a boring, happy life" but he looked genuinely happy for the former Earth Dragon.

Kimiko smiled gently "I was a little surprised when I heard as well, it's like only yesterday we were doing chores together at the temple, or kicking your scrawny behind to get some Wu's. I'm going to be a bride's maid, you know" She added conversationally.

Jack's face took on a mock-pitying expression "Poor, Kimiko, they're going to stick you into some ugly-ass dress and have you chase after some over-emotional bride"

She laughed in response "That's what friends are for right? Besides, if I ever get married, I'll turn him into my personal lackey"

A strange smile turned Jack's lips at that remark; it elicited mixed emotions from him. He was saved from answering by the arrival at their destination "Here we are" he said, coming to a stop.

Kimiko looked up "Le Meurice? Wow Jack, you're certainly going all out" she said appreciatively.

He smiled expansively "Only the best for you, Ohime sama". Kimiko only rolled her eyes at him.

The interior of the restaurant was impressive; marble columns and big bay windows, with four low hanging crystal chandeliers were breathtaking without being overpowering; circular tables with pristine white linen tabletops and ivory armchairs made for the seating arrangements. The room had a very baroque feel and was overall quite lovely.

Upon entering they were greeted by a member of the waiting staff who checked their reservation and lead them to their table. Another person came to take their coats.

As they were handed their menus, Jack gave Kimiko an apologetic look "I'm sorry I couldn't get us a table in the non-smoking section" - there was only so much bribing and threatening could do on a very short notice.

Kimiko waved his apology away "It's amazing you even managed to get a table-" she paused and looked up from her menu "Actually Jack, when did you start to plan this?" Kimiko wanted to know.

The question made Jack feel understandably uncomfortable, he didn't think there was a right answer, so he just went with the truth "Two days ago?" he offered hesitantly.

Kimiko's eyes widened "You must have some persuasion powers!" she exclaimed.

Jack was extremely pleased with himself by this point, but still could not help worrying about the grey mist of cigarette smoke that was even now swelling up around them.

After they studied the menu, someone came to take their orders and a sommelier walked over to suggest a wine that would compliment their meals. After their wines were poured the two settled into a comfortable silence as they waited. Kimiko stroked the petals of one of the red roses that decorated the center of the table, while Jack did his best not to freak out about the smoke and not dunk down his glass of wine as stress relief.

As the food was placed before them Kimiko studied the plate and thought it looked more like artwork than food, she smiled at the waiter "The problem with French cuisine is that it's so beautiful you almost can't bear to eat it. My compliments to the chef". The man, obviously understanding English, smiled at her comment and nodded his assent.

Jack raised an eyebrow, and waited until the man had left before speaking "I don't think so. Food's food" he dead-panned.

Kimiko grinned "No, you wouldn't" and for the second time that evening she surprised him by doing something completely unexpected. Mindful of his handicap, she reached across the table and proceeded to cut his food into bite sized pieces, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

To Jack the gestured seemed extremely intimate and casual, effortless, like she'd been doing it forever. He couldn't help but stare at her, while his heart thudded wildly in his chest "Thanks" he managed to squeeze out through a suddenly uncomfortably tight throat.

Kimiko only smiled at him before refocusing on her own meal.

After the obligatory appreciative comments about the food, Kimiko pounced on a subject that Jack heartily hoped would never come up "So, how did you get rid of Dojo? Or did you simply not tell him about Paris at all?"

The question caught Jack so much by surprise that he actually choked on his food. When he finally managed to regain his breath, he took on an innocent, slightly offended look "What do you mean 'get rid of'? I didn't do anything of the sort!"

It amused Kimiko that Jack was still under the impression that he was oh-so-subtle in his machinations. It was cute, but the boy needed a wakeup call.

"Even if I didn't know you were a patented liar, I still wouldn't believe you, you know. No one in their right mind would voluntarily bring Dojo along on a date, unless of course they wanted it to fail miserably. Heck, most people wouldn't bring Dojo along period" Kimiko said bluntly. Jack found he couldn't say anything to that.

"I am sort of glad you managed to convince him not to come, otherwise you would have both been at each other's throats all night, and that really wears on my nerves. But seriously, how did you do it?" she simply refused to let go.

"I… I'd rather not discuss it" Jack answered, red eyes darting everywhere, except at Kimiko. He saw the girl begin to pout and knew her well enough to recognize it as the beginning of her waning patience "You won't like it" he added meekly.

"If you're trying to make me lose interest in this, you're really going about it the wrong way. Now spill" Kimiko demanded mercilessly.

Jack sighed and lay down his fork "I sort of blackmailed him into not coming" he confessed.

"Go on, you can do better than that" Kimiko prompted.

She was pushing her food around the plate with her fork as she interviewed him, and Jack found his eyes nervously following the piece of cutlery. "You know that photo of Master Fung he always brings along with him? Yeah, I kinda threatened to stab, rip, cut, burn and otherwise maim that if he didn't do what I said"

Kimiko stared at him, then burst out laughing. She was laughing so hard she had to bring up a hand to her mouth to muffle the sound. "Oh my" she breathed, struggling to calm herself "That's so crazy! It's absolutely ridiculous! I can't believe it actually worked-" and she broke down into another fit of giggles.

Jack blinked and his lips turned in a tentative smile "You're not mad?" he asked sounding somewhat surprised.

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" Kimiko asked, having finally caught her breath.

Jack shrugged "Well, when I played this scene over in my head, I imagined you would, I don't know, playfully stab me with your fork? For, you know, being despicable or something. You tend to be very direct like that"

Kimiko snorted "Oh stop it, I'm not that violent. Besides, if you really believe that, you wouldn't be here with me" she said, waving her hand dismissively. A thoughtful look crossed her face "What did inspire you to do all of this anyway?" she asked, gesturing around herself.

Jack instantly panicked. The words "Not good! Not good! Not good!" kept repeating themselves over and over in his head, like a litany, making it impossible to think. "Allot of spare time?" Jack answered cautiously. He would prefer not to have to blurt his feelings out at this point. It was entirely too early in the evening.

"About that, you know, I was so shocked that we had to wait for all the stuff to be delivered. I had no doubt whatsoever in my mind that you could simply teleport it over"

Jack was thrown a bit off balance with the 90 degree turn the conversation took. It was so unusual for Kimiko to not pursue a question to its bitter end, when she normally did so with the tenacity of a dog on a particularly juicy bone. It made him wonder if she regretted asking the question. "Pfft, not without the Tiger Claw you can't" Jack said, studying Kimiko's face.

She propped her chin on her hand and gave a soft little sigh "Ah, those Wu's would come in mighty handy when we're going after the Salamander again" Privately she was relieved Jack went along with the new thread in the conversation, thus saving them both from a world of awkwardness; why had she even asked him that?

"Eugh, don't even remind me about that. I get chills only thinking about going back in those tunnels. I mean really, what was Francois thinking, creating something like that?" Jack replied, suppressing a shudder.

"I don't know, but he must have been very pleased with it, he used it on his coat of arms for God's sake" Kimiko said shaking her head in disbelief "Maybe he was a masochist"

"Sure seems like it" Jack shrugged and directed a pointed look at his missing limb.

Kimiko took a sip of her wine "I'm not so keen about going down there either" she confessed, focusing her eyes on her glass.

Jack's face took on a pained look "I can see why you might feel that way, last round we were completely owned by that golden bastard"

Kimiko directed a wry smile at him "That's one way to put it; you almost make it sound like we weren't both nearly horribly killed. Twice. Very good Jack" she congratulated, holding her glass up for a toast.

Jack clinked his glass to hers, a self-mocking smile playing at the corners of his mouth "I do try my very best. Cheers!"

"You realize we have yet to touch on a cheerful topic, right?" Jack remarked, after setting his glass down "We've talked about how lame we were in our youths, about how disturbing and boring our friends slash allies were, about how ugly Ivan was, we've whined about the Salamander. Pathetic"

Kimiko nodded solemnly, also setting her glass down "We're just a bunch of emo kids" then she looked up at him and smiled "You most definitely look the part as well. Did you notice how everyone keeps taking double takes when they look at you? I swear, the lady at the reception was this close to kicking us out before she saw we had reservations" she laughed.

Jack self-consciously lifted a hand to his face "Yeah, maybe I should have taken them down for tonight" He was surprised to see Kimiko shake her head firmly.

"I'm glad you kept them. So what if you turn a few disapproving heads? I'm very proud of you for sticking to it" Kimiko said with conviction, then her face softened and she smiled "I don't think I ever saw you without the eyeliner. This may sound strange, but I find them oddly comforting. It's nice to see that despite all the changes, some things are still the same, you know?" Kimiko grinned broadly at him "You make me feel young"

Jack chuckled "Do I now? Then I must make sure to never take them off" he decreed.

"Good. That way I can think about the good old days instead of the walking, talking commercial add for my father's company that I've become. I'm such a closet emo" she concluded shaking her head.

Jack grinned in response "'s all right. I still like you. And I think Obie does too"

"That's comforting" she said, rolling her eyes.

At that point someone came and cleared the table, while another person brought in the deserts.

Kimiko didn't like to advertise this, but she was a sucker for sweets. She dug into her dessert with what she believed was entirely too much gusto. She couldn't keep her eyes from fluttering shut in bliss as the sweetness flooded her mouth. It felt like heaven.

Meanwhile, Jack, who tackled his dish in a more reserved and straight-forward fashion, was amused by her antics " I never knew you had such a sweet-tooth, Kim. Actually, it's good to know. If I ever need to bribe you into anything again, that is"

Kimiko opened her eyes and treated him to a withering look. When that elicited no response she sighed dejectedly "Fine. You know my one weakness. High quality sweets"

Jack's eyebrows shot up "I thought your one weakness was waking up in the morning?" he teased.

Kimiko scowled at him "Don't push it. Besides, it's hardly my fault that they make these things so absolutely delicious. Here, try it" and she dipped her spoon into the creamy fabrication and held it out towards him.

A high pitched nervous little giggle threatened to burst out of him at her offer. She just wasn't fighting fair, his mind complained. Here he was, trying to be all cool and collected and in control, and she went and did something like that. Jack wondered whether or not he was blushing like a schoolgirl. He certainly felt like he was. Doing his best to keep his face straight, Jack leaned forward to take the proffered sweet. In all honesty, he was so high strung, he didn't even taste anything "It's all right" he said out loud, his voice sounding a lot more composed than he felt.

"Critic" Kimiko sniffed retrieving her spoon.

Jack watched with fascination –and hoped to God he wasn't staring- as Kimiko continued to eat at her dessert. The evening, he concluded, was off to a very promising start. All he had to do was to not freak out and act like a fool. Jack gave a mental sigh; it was so much easier said than done.

"It's a pity it all tastes like smoke though" Kimiko remarked offhandedly. She had intended it as a joke, but when she peeked up to see Jack's reaction she was alarmed to see his face crumple into a mask of misery "Oh Jack! I was kidding! I was only teasing" she exclaimed.

That one little comment was all it took for Jack's positive morale to wither and die. Suddenly the room appeared to be flooded by cigarette smoke, and he became frustrated that in spite of all the effort he had put forth to secure the perfect dinner, somehow he'd managed to screw it up. It never even occurred to him that he might be over-stressing.

Jack's mental crisis stayed with him until they were back out on the brightly lit streets of Paris. By that point he simply wanted to forget the whole ordeal ever happened. He took a deep breath and regretted it almost instantly, the air was so cold. After a small fit of coughing, he looked down at Kimiko "Ready to go?"

Kimiko, who had been huddling for warmth in her coat, gave him a slightly annoyed look " You're not going to tell me where we're going are you?" she inquired, a slight pout on her lips.

Jack half smiled at her "Why would you say that?" he chuckled when Kimiko glared at him "Actually, we're going to one of the Christmas Markets"

Kimiko's face instantly lit up "Really? I've always meant to see one, but I never got to visit France in winter" she said happily.

Jack found her enthusiasm to be extremely gratifying and smiled in response. He prayed to God this one would go as planned.

It became evident to Jack that Kimiko had not been faking her eagerness. She was almost bouncing from stall to stall, laughing and smiling and being more girly and bubbly than Jack had ever thought possible. He found it completely charming and quite happily allowed himself to be dragged around.

They bought roasted chestnuts and Kimiko pulled down on his scarf so she could pop one in his mouth. Jack was blissfully crunching down on it, when he saw Kimiko's eyes widen dramatically "Oh God! Spit it out! Spit it out!" she cried.

Alarmed by her screaming Jack did as she instructed, much to the disgust of the other passersby, and looked inquiringly at her.

Kimiko continued to stare at him in horror "Jack I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking! Is it too late?"

Jack blinked stupidly "Is what too late?"

Kimiko gave him an "are you insane" look "Do we have to take you to a hospital?" and because he continued to stare at her she added "because of your nut allergy!" she cried, sounding almost exasperated despite her obvious worry. She backed up a step when Jack started to laugh "Why on earth are you laughing?"

"That's what it was!" Jack laughed "Kim, baby, I don't have a nut-allergy, I'm only allergic to peanuts" he told her, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Oh" she said, clearly taken aback "I didn't know there was a difference" then, after casting a nervous look around "We should probably move along, you did just spit out chestnuts in the middle of the street."

When they were at, what Kimiko considered to be, a safe distance they finally slowed down and resumed exploring. When Jack offered to buy some vin chaud Kimiko tossed him an arch look over her shoulder "Are you trying to get me drunk?" and laughed at his shocked expression "But you may buy me some hot chocolate".

When they finally exited the market Kimiko turned to look at Jack "I really had fun tonight Jack" she confessed, smiling brilliantly.

"Why do you say that with such finality? We're not done yet" Jack told her.

Kimiko lifted her eyebrows "You really planned this through, didn't you? Alright then, what now?"

"Kim, I am going to give you the complete Christmas in Paris tour. Which means we are going ice-skating" he declared brightly.

The corners of Kimiko's mouth pulled down slightly "Ooh Jack, I don't know if that's such a good idea. I'm really not what you'd call graceful when I'm on the ice"

Jack waved away her concern "Oh please, that's nonsense. I'm sure you look stunning. It's not even all that hard"

Kimiko frowned "That's easy for you to say. Figure skating boy" she muttered somewhat resentfully.

"No more complaining. You'll see, you'll enjoy it" Jack said with a confidence Kimiko did not share.

It was with some trepidation that Kimiko got on the ice. She just knew she was going to slip and fall. Her knees were trembling as she tried to stand upright. Kimiko knew she was being silly, but she hated the thought of ever showing weakness in public, and skating was definitely not a strong point of hers. The fact that she had to skate next to Jack who was a pro at it made it all the worse.

In a surprising turn of events, it turned out that Jack wasn't faring all that well either. He hadn't taken into consideration the fact that his missing arm might affect his balance. It did. Drastically.

Seeing Jack struggle alongside her, as opposed to him dancing circles around her, made Kimiko feel a whole lot better. Together they made their way haltingly around the rink, feet slipping and hands flailing, holding each other up and grinning all the while. Admittedly the grins did get a little fixed every so often.

"This is allot more fun than I was expecting" Kimiko announced breathlessly. She was holding herself up by clinging to Jack's coat.

"This sucks" Jack complained, his grin turning a little tight as his foot slipped "Oooh boy!" he exclaimed, his arm spinning wildly to catch his balance and keep him standing upright "I really need to get that arm back"

"Oh shut it. That handicap's a good thing for you right now. If you were in top form you'd be flaunting your "mad skillz" and showing off and being generally annoying, and I'm feeling very emotional right now, so trust me, for your own good, this is better" her small speech was ruined by the occasional startled squeaks she uttered every time she overbalanced.

"I wouldn't!" Jack cried petulantly.

"Yeah you would" Kimiko countered.

"You're right, I would" he admitted.

Kimiko's smug, knowing smile vanished as she skidded gracelessly for the hundredth time "Are you ready to call it a night yet?" she asked, her voice coming out a little shaky.

"Heck yes" Jack said, nodding fervently. He did feel disappointed, he had hoped he might impress Kimiko with his skating abilities.

As they were getting back into their shoes, Jack kept darting furtive glances at the sky, wishing it would start to snow already. As if some higher power heard his silent plea, the clouds suddenly burst, but instead of white fluffy snowflakes, rain started to pour out in heavy droplets.

Jack cursed as a droplet hit him straight in the eye "Oh come on!" he complained, feeling immensely cheated. Not only was he not getting a white Christmas, he was getting a muddy, frigid, water soaked one. Acting on an impulse he grabbed Kimiko's hand and started running.

"Jack! Where are you running to?" Kimiko cried, she had to raise her voice to make herself heard over the sound of the rain.

"The nearest cab!" he yelled back. But of course, there were none to be found "Of course" Jack gritted. If he'd ever had any doubts that the Universe was out to get him, he was certain now.

Tired and soaked half-way through, Kimiko tugged on Jack's arm, bringing them both to an abrupt stop "This is useless, let's just find cover and phone for a taxi" she yelled over the noise and pulled Jack after her as she searched for some shelter from the rain. The nearest thing that presented itself was an apartment building with an overhang above the entry.

Once safely out of the downpour Kimiko started to laugh "That was so crazy! Running around aimlessly like crazy people!" she managed to say while trying to catch her breath. She noticed that Jack wasn't sharing her amusement with the whole situation, in fact he looked intensely unhappy; his shoulders were slumped and he was standing, facing away from her "What's wrong with you?" she asked concernedly.

"Nothing" Jack answered evasively.

"It doesn't really look like it. What is the matter?" Kimiko asked again, gently turning him to face her. Jack looked absolutely miserable, and the wet strands of hair that were sticking to his face only helped to enhance that effect.

Jack stared at the floor, unable to meet her eyes "I'm sorry" he whispered dejectedly.

Kimiko frowned in puzzlement "What on earth for?"

Jack gave a weak sort of shrug "For all of this I guess?" he gestured widely with his arm "I just wanted everything to be perfect tonight and nothing really turned out right. Dinner tasted like cigarettes, all three courses and dessert, I couldn't skate worth anything, and we both nearly broke our legs on the damned ice and then as if things weren't bad enough, it randomly started to rain- with a vengeance. Not to mention that I completely forgot to book us a ride to Paris and had to resort to getting Obie to drive us- which was a complete disaster as you may recall" he said all this in a single breath, like he just had to let it all out or else he'd explode.

Kimiko stared at him in astonishment, not quite believing what she'd heard. Did he really not enjoy the evening at all?

Jack heaved a heavy sigh, his shoulders appearing to slump further "I'm sorry I wasted your time like that. And got you soaked. And possibly poisoned with tobacco"

Suddenly Kimiko understood and in spite of the biting cold she felt warm inside. He believed he had somehow failed her and for some reason that depressed him. It made sense to her now, why Jack had been needlessly stressing so hard over everything. He wanted to make her happy, he wanted her to like him. She found his actions to be endearing and absolutely adorable and all she wanted to do was hug the silly, silly man.

"I don't know why you would think that. I really had fun tonight" Kimiko said as reassuringly as she could. It occurred to her that in-between therapy and research, Jack didn't have much time for relationships. It was possibly because of this that he had this blown up out of proportion idea of a perfect date.

Jack made a muffled noise in the back of his throat "You're just saying that because I look like I'm about to cut myself" but he did roll his eyes up to look at her.

"I am not. Dinner was wonderful, and the Christmas Market was the most fun I've had in years. The skating rink was a bit crazy I'll admit, but I enjoyed that too. And I'm not so shallow that I would let a little inopportune rain ruin all of that" Kimiko told him earnestly.

"But it wasn't perfect" Jack persisted in a gloomy voice "I wanted it to be. I wanted to show you I can do something right"

"But I don't want perfect" Kimiko told him, smiling kindly "Perfect is boring. This, this is real, and I'm perfectly happy with it" she assured him.

"You really mean that?" Jack asked a little doubtfully, but looking allot less suicidal.

"I really do" Kimiko said with certainty.

"Oh. Alright then" a moment went by in silence "You'll catch a head cold and die" Jack informed her bluntly, he then proceeded to untie the scarf from around his neck and covered her head with it. They blinked at each other. Jack cleared his throat loudly "I'll just call a taxi then" he said and pulled out his phone, his hands were shaking a little, in a way that had nothing to do with the cold.

Kimiko gratefully wrapped the scarf tighter around her head and neck, basking in the welcomed warmth and taking in Jack's scent. She watched him nervously attempt to dial in the number –it was his third try, then allowed her eyes to wander to the surroundings. Her attention was caught by something hanging directly above their heads. A slow smile spread across her lips and she reached out and tapped Jack's shoulder.

Jack gave his head a quick shake, a sign for her to wait as he gave the taxi company their current location. "Someone will be here to pick us up in five minutes" he told her after hanging up.

Kimiko's smile widened "Look up" she instructed.

Raising a confused eyebrow, Jack obeyed "Huh, it's a bit early to hang up the mistletoe" he remarked obliviously. He froze on the spot as realization dawned "She couldn't mean-" Jack thought, as he ever so slowly brought his head down to look back at Kimiko. His breath hitched in his throat when she took a step towards him. By the time Kimiko's hands touched his shoulders, pulling him down towards her, Jack wasn't breathing at all.

Standing up on the tips of her toes, Kimiko brought their faces together in a lingering kiss. It was the first time she kissed him while not under the effect of some sort of adrenaline rush; the first time she kissed Jack because she simply felt like it. It felt nice.

Kimiko was surprised when Jack seemed to snap out of his initial inertia, and his arm wrapped around her waist, lifting her off the ground. She was glad for the support, because it left her hands free to wander. She buried one in his damp hair and caressed Jack's face and neck with the other.

Jack was intensely aware of every bit of Kimiko's body as he held her against him, the tip of her cold nose brushing against his cheek, the wisps of her raven hair tickling his face, her soft, warm hand on his cold skin, the rapid beats of her heart as they mingled with his own, and most of all, her lips pressed against his own, brushing, caressing, giving, taking.

When they finally broke apart, they were both red-faced and gasping for breath.

"Impressive how you lifted me up with one hand like that" Kimiko remarked breathlessly, she smiled shyly.

"Oh, you know how people get this crazy strength when under the influence of massive amounts of adrenaline? Yeah" Jack said looking a bit dazed. He felt immensely pleased with himself when that comment brought forth a laugh form Kimiko. "I must have done something right" he told himself.

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Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Another Kiss Oh Yeah! But seriously, is it still good? I didn't wonder off into overpoweringly cheesy?

And WTF is up with that chapter title? Jack should try it tho

Read and Review pliz.


	21. Chapter 20 One step closer

Heeeeeere we go, the full version of this chapter; practically doubled its size. Some tiny insignificant changes were made to the first part as well.

*dodges, in quick sequence, bricks, knives, a pitch fork, a couple of spoons but gets hit in the head with a rubber chicken* Yeah, I totally deserved that, nice aim Dancing Queen.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU guys for all the support and the love and most importantly the _**PATIENCE**_!!! Seriously you're amazing 3

I love you guys so much! I hope everybody had fun over the holidays and I wish everybody a bright, happy, awesomely good year!

Thank you everybody for your reviews and my gosh there's so many of you now! So thank you:

Wolfinson, Badkidoh, Kattsumi-zhao Yamamoto, Shadir, Bishieluver01, afitre, Marshmallowsox, *Dancing Queen*, halfhuman123, SheWhoDreamsByDarkness-x, cheer up emo kid, Grinningfool, Bj-Lydia, 1 little monkey, hopping..., A CertainPeanutButterSandwich, A. N. Ravencroft, Riddlei, bluffenschnitz, LolitaPop, lulzplz, a jackkim fan, LarkasBlessing122291, GreenCarambola, Llamas Myspace and Spam

Thank you to the nice people who add me and/or my story to their favorites!

A big thanks to the people who point out my mistakes, that helps me a lot, because then I can correct them and that is good for everybody :D

Disclaimer: Not mine. Now there's a shocker!

888

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Chapter 20 – One step closer

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"Cab's here" Kimiko announced as her eyes picked out the car currently parking at the end of the street. Her voice came out slightly muffled, as her face was partially buried in Jack's coat. They'd taken the penguin approach as a defense against the bitter cold: huddling together; she had to peek around his arm to get a glimpse of the street.

"Mhmm" came Jack's less than enthusiastic reply. He wasn't all that keen on letting go of Kimiko, an opportunity like this might, after all, be a while in turning up. Besides, Kimiko was keeping both of them warm with her innate abilities, so the wet and cold weren't all that pressing anymore.

"Jack? Are you listening to me? We need to go" Kimiko said attempting to wriggle out of his embrace.

"Dun wanna" He answered petulantly, refusing to let go.

Kimiko sighed and rolled her eyes, Jack could be such a kid "You're going to catch your death of cold" she informed him, hoping that would prompt a positive response. She felt his dispassionate shrug, and decided to go for a different approach "You know we could continue this once we're inside" Kimiko said, leaning further into his chest, suggestively, she hoped. This had the desired effect.

With some reluctance Jack retrieved his arm from around Kimiko and settled for taking her hand as they walked to the waiting taxi; he handed her in- always the gentleman, then followed, taking a seat next to her.

They settled together in the back seat, Jack seating himself as close to Kimiko without actually picking her up and sitting her on his lap. Not to say that he wasn't tempted. Unbeknownst to Jack, destiny had much the same plan.

Innocently Jack told the driver where they wanted to go. The man met Jack's eyes in the rearview mirror; his eyes had that droopy look, with heavy bags underneath that just screamed- or rather, mumbled wearily: "I am tired". He grunted lethargically in response before focusing on the road. Jack and Kimiko exchanged a doubtful look.

Under these extenuating circumstances Jack felt that his next action should not be judged too harshly. The car accelerated so abruptly he and Kimiko were both plastered against the back seat. Jack was so surprised by the sudden and violent departure he let out an undignified squeak of alarm which ended in an unconvincing choking fit.

His moment of mortification was quickly dismissed when he realized that Kimiko did not only _**not **_hear his embarrassing slip, but she was clinging to his arm like her life depended on it, she even had one leg half-over his knee. Jack stared in astonishment at her, wondering where the sudden burst of passionate affection had come from, until he noticed how pale her face was and how wide her eyes had gone. It was at that point that he noticed how fast the landscape was zipping by. This was an unexpected development.

Jack lowered his head closer to Kimiko's face "Kim" he began to whisper but had to stop, this was just not something you asked Kimiko "are you scared?" he inquired tentatively.

Kimiko's eyes rolled up slowly to look at him, and Jack was amazed at how much white he could see, her eyes were so wide.

Jack found he couldn't stop the "wow" sound from leaving his lips. He hastened to correct this slip firstly because he did not mean to offend Kimiko in any way, and secondly because despite her obvious fear, some bit of her normal recalcitrant self managed to surface, manifesting itself in the form of a glare "It's just that- I don't… You ride a freakin' dragon! All the time. How could you get nervous while riding in a speeding car? I mean cars at least move on rectilinear trajectories!" he exclaimed as loudly as he dared without the driver hearing.

Kimiko frowned in agitation "That's not the problem! I _**know**_ Dojo. I know he wouldn't let me fall to my death." She paused to glare at the driver's back "The only thing I know about this guy is that he has dead eyes and drives like he's suicidal!" she hissed angrily as fear took it's natural course, transforming into anger.

This made Jack feel oddly better. An angry Kimiko was a Kimiko he was used to. "So you're afraid of riding in speeding cars. Huh, who'd have thought?" he found the entire concept highly amusing. It was only his so rarely used survival instinct that kept him from teasing Kimiko about it.

Her nails bit into the skin of his arm as she gave it a hard squeeze; she was still hanging on to him. "I am not. I only worry when someone else is driving… particularly someone who looks like he doesn't have a reason to live anymore" she said, managing a shrill whisper.

Trying not to wince, Jack attempted to delicately extricate his arm from Kimiko's vice-like grip "It's okay Kim, just let go. Sweetheart, let go, l-let, let go. That's right, theeeere you go, like that. There we go" he wrapped it instead around her shoulders in an attempt at comforting. He felt an immense wave of gratification when she settled against him.

"If you start making soothing, cooing noises I am going to hurt you" Kimiko muttered half-heartedly.

He chuckled and regretted he couldn't give her a proper hug.

They got to the hotel in record time, a thing Kimiko didn't feel too grateful for. A mini-argument erupted between the two, on who should pay the tab; the argument came to an end when Jack decisively stated "I'm the one who asked you out, so I'm the one who'll pay for the cab"

The corners of Kimiko's mouth turned down in dissatisfaction "Fine" she conceded and added, jabbing the air in front of his face with her finger "Do not tip this man!" she said in a whisper loud enough for the driver to hear, before getting out of the car.

"He he, sorry about that" he said turning to the driver, offering an apologetic smile. The man's expression did not change, in fact it had not changed once in the entire drive. Jack found himself wondering if he'd ever seen the man blink. "Right… um, well" Jack mumbled nervously, fumbling with the money in his haste to pay and get out of the taxi.

Kimiko was waiting for him just inside the hotel, she gave him a measuring "So that's the way it works with you?" she asked when he got to her.

Jack frowned in confusion.

"You ask me out, therefore you're the one who has to pay for everything?" she clarified.

"Oh, well yeah. Pretty much. I think that's reasonable" Jack said, nodding sagely.

Kimiko quirked an eyebrow "So if I were to ask you out…" she left it hanging.

"I'd make you pay for everything, yes" Jack said brightly "No, I'm lying… maybe we could just go Dutch…" Jack hesitated "we'll negotiate" he said at last, nodding seriously "Wait… are you planning on doing that? Asking me out?" Jack said sounding hopefully. Kimiko's only answer to that was a coy smile.

And so it was that a couple of minutes later they were making their way up the stairs to their respective rooms. When they hit the landing Jack turned around to give Kimiko a hopeful look "Um… a good night kiss?" he suggested half-heartedly.

Kimiko snorted softly "You are really persistent, aren't you?" The question turned out to be rhetorical, as Kimiko smiled and held out her hands for him.

Jack could not be happier, and as he went in for the long-fought-for kiss, he let out a breath making a sound that sounded suspiciously like "Weeeeeee…"

Kimiko raised an eyebrow and might have had something to say about that, but Jack's lips effectively cut her off. Not that she was complaining.

"Mmmg'night" Jack said as he pulled back, a goofy smile on his face, pausing only to place a quick, almost shy peck on Kimiko's forehead. He turned to walk away.

"Not so fast" Kimiko said suddenly, grabbing him by the collar to halt his retreat.

Jack stared at her in surprise for a moment, then, as understanding dawned his expression turned from shocked and maybe a little frightened, to sultry, then back to alarmed in quick succession, almost as if he were undecided on what the best course of action would be.

Kimiko decided she didn't want to speculate on what Jack might have been thinking right then, she was in too good a mood. Instead she smiled charmingly and extended her hand "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Jack looked blankly at her hand for a long moment, deciding at last, absurdly, that she wanted him to kiss her hand. He had no problem with that. Just as he began to reach for the offered hand, Kimiko decided the gesture needed clarification.

"The photo, Jack. Give it to me, and I'll give it to Dojo, I imagine he's in my room by now" she said watching bemusedly as Jack reached for her hand.

"Oh" said Jack blankly "Oh! Oh right. The photo, I completely forgot about that. Here" he said, producing the photo from one of his pockets.

Kimiko took the photo, shaking her head all the while "I can't believe you actually did this… I can't believe it actually worked". She was still shaking her head as she walked away.

As she turned on the light in her room, Kimiko was predictably met by an angry Dojo. She offered him the safely recovered "hostage". Dojo snatched it out of her hands, cradling it protectively to his chest as if someone might attempt to take it from him again.

Kimiko kept her expression neutral as she observed this display. She then smiled pleasantly and went to get ready for bed. A quick look at the clock told her it was just a quarter to midnight.

Dojo followed her around the room as she took off and disposed of her jewelry, removed her make-up, politely turned around as she changed into her PJs , then followed her into the bathroom when she went to wash her teeth, complaining all the while.

"He blackmailed me!!" was the first thing Dojo had said when she'd set foot in the room. Everything he said from then on was in much the same note.

Finally exasperated with the dragon, Kimiko turned around to face the little dragon as he trailed behind her "I know ,Dojo. He told me" this bought her about thirty seconds of complete silence. Then Dojo exploded.

"You… YOU KNEW!?" He cried out disbelievingly "For-for how long have you known that he held master Fung in his evil clutches??"

Kimiko felt the dragon was severely overreacting "I don't know. I think since dinner?" this prompted another explosion.

"You knew that and you still stayed!? How could you?" Dojo demanded clutching the photograph tightly to him.

Kimiko couldn't help it, she had to roll her eyes "Dojo, he didn't kidnap Master Fung. He took a photo. It's not that big a deal" Dojo seemed to be suffocating, she ignored him and went on "And Jack only did it because he wanted to ask me on a date, but was too shy to plain out say it"

"Are you kidding me? Too shy? " Dojo asked incredulously "And even if that were so why didn't he just ask me not to come?" he demanded.

Kimiko tilted her head and pursed one corner of her mouth "You know, I'm pretty sure he did do that and you said no"

Dojo's eyes widened innocently "Wha- Would I do that?"

Kimiko took in his reaction "Yeah, I think you would. Are you saying I'm wrong?" Dojo looked unmistakably cornered, Kimiko emboldened by this pressed on "And even if he didn't ask you, hypothetically speaking, I'm asking you now. What would you have said if Jack asked you not to come?"

"You're picking on details" Dojo deflected neatly "The main point is the man was not shy about using blackmail to get what he wanted and you're not seeing that"

Kimiko rolled her eyes for the second time in as many minutes "You're not seeing just how ridiculous your case against him is. For God's sake Dojo, it was a photograph" she exclaimed throwing her hands out. By this point her good mood had completely evaporated. The fact that there was a ring of truth to Dojo's words did not make her feel any happier. She felt it was completely unfair, not to mention extremely rude to point out Jack's character flaws now that she finally decided to like him.

Dojo opened his serpentine mouth, no doubt with a comeback, but Kimiko was the faster of the two, holding up her hand to halt his progress "Look, it's late and I am tired. I'll concede that Jack's methods are questionable and not altogether good, but you got your picture back, I had a good time, there was no harm done. So could you please just drop it?" she asked plaintively.

Dojo appeared to fold in on himself; the effect was very similar to an accordion being constricted "Very well" he agreed at last.

Kimiko went to turn off the lights and then slipped into bed. Dojo was already resting, curled up on a pillow next to her head. "Good night, Dojo" Kimiko muttered sleepily.

Dojo regarded her with round eyes that glinted in the dark of the room "You know I'm only trying to protect you right?" he asked quietly. His head was resting on his coiled body, the pose gave him an air of resignation.

Kimiko opened her eyes, blinking slowly and smiled at the tiny dragon "I know" and her eyes slipped shut again.

Dojo sighed, a wisp of smoke rising up from his nostrils "Good night Kimiko"

* * *

Early the next day Jack was cheerfully making his way down the hall of the hotel and towards the stairs that lead to the ground floor, a spring in his step. He had a happy, vacant look on his face, his mind clearly elsewhere. He was brought to a screeching halt when the very subject of his pleasant mind meanderings called his name.

It was extremely unusual for Kimiko to be up so early, but there she was making a beeline for him. He immediately began to worry "Are you feeling alright? You didn't sleep well?" Jack asked with concern, when she pulled abreast of him.

Kimiko brushed his concerns away with a laugh "Really? Just because I woke up a little earlier than usual doesn't mean I'm unwell. I just woke up" she shrugged. Kimiko gave Jack a measuring look "You're not usually up this early either. What are you up to?" she asked curiously. Kimiko couldn't help but notice that Jack's voice was a bit nasal.

Jack raised an eyebrow "And how would you know when I wake up? You always wake up after me" he ended the statement with a delicate sniffle.

Kimiko narrowed her eyes at him, but answered his question "Oh, I felt guilty because I thought I was waking up so late, so I asked Obie when you woke up. So there. Now please focus and answer my question" Kimiko said, then added suddenly "Wait, answer this first, did you catch a cold?"

Jack did not appear too eager to talk about that "It's just a sniffle" he said brushing it off as nothing. The big sneeze that followed did not exactly reinforce his statement.

"U-huh" Kimiko muttered, unconvinced "Ok, now you can answer the other question"

Jack did a quick rewind of their short conversation and located said question "Where am I going? I'm going to meet up with Mike, you remember, my assistant/accountant, to pick up the things I asked for" he explained and gestured for Kimiko to follow as he started to descend.

"Oh, wow, that's pretty quick work" Kimiko said, nodding appreciatively "I'm not even going to ask how you got those things into the country" she added in a low whisper "So where are you two meeting?"

"Paris. It was the most convenient location" Jack said, he halted his descent and swiveled to face Kimiko who was a step behind and above him "Would you like to come? I didn't think to ask you because I thought you'd be asleep; but since you're not…?" he asked. It did not escape his notice that with Kimiko standing on a step above him brought them to about the same height. If he were to lean forward just a little…

"Sure. I'd like to meet the man who has to put up with you all the time. It's good research" Kimiko said pointedly.

That was enough to pull Jack out of his amorous thoughts, and a look of pure panic crossed over his face.

Kimiko chuckled "That bad, huh?" before leaning forward and placing a quick peck on his lips. She then proceeded to sidestep Jack and make her way down the stairs ahead of him.

Jack followed after her, trying to shake off the little daze her unexpected kiss seemed to have cast over him. He also tried really hard not to sneeze again.

Kimiko paused once they hit the landing and turned to Jack "Are we taking a cab?" she asked in deceptively dulcet tones.

Jack was clever enough to make a quick change of plans "Oh no. What, are you kidding, after last night!? Pfft."

Kimiko realized this was code for "I was planning on it, but not anymore; hold on a sec while I figure out what to do next" Jack's babbling was like that music you had to listen to when you were on hold on the telephone, or elevator music; it signaled a waiting period. The thought made her smile.

"Ah, well, I could always ask Obie to drive us" Jack said thoughtfully "that is, if I can find him"" he added in an undertone.

Kimiko shrugged "Or I could just drive" she offered.

Jack's eyebrows shot up "You drive?" he asked, shocked.

Kimiko frowned "Of course" she answered tartly, he didn't need to sound quite so surprised.

Jack picked up on her annoyance and hurried to smooth things out "I'm just surprised, after last night I mean. I got the impression you didn't like to drive"

Kimiko shook her head "No, no, I didn't like the way _**that**_ guy was driving"

"That's sorted out then… but why didn't you say anything yesterday? Why did you let me get Obie to drive us to Paris? It would have saved us a world of awkwardness" Jack said.

Kimiko shrugged "You never asked me and I just figured it was your misogynistic streak acting up and you didn't want me driving because, you know, I'm a girl" she answered matter-of-factly, but the slight curl to her lips took any possible sting out of the words.

Jack laughed nervously, a bit uncertain in spite of the smile "It just never occurred to me" he was still wondering, privately, if Kimiko thought his paying for dinner and the drive was a misogynistic action.

They were in the parking lot almost at Jack's car. Jack fished in his pants pocket for the car keys which he tossed to Kimiko over the top of the car. She caught them expertly and let herself inside; Jack joined her, taking the passenger seat up front.

Jack had always thought of himself as a speed freak; but compared to Kimiko's driving he was a cautious driver. He stared at the woman in complete and utter disbelief "Are you bipolar?" he demanded to know.

Kimiko's eyes left the road for a moment to focus on him, which Jack privately thought was a serious mistake considering the speed they were whizzing by at "Why do you say that?" she asked innocently.

Jack's mouth dropped "Are you kidding? You're driving like a mad-woman! What was all that last night? I thought you were afraid of speeding cars" he exclaimed, awash with confusion.

Kimiko raised an eyebrow "Noo-o. I'm afraid of being in a speedy car when someone who looks like he has nothing left to live for is driving. I love speed, as long as I'm the one driving" she clarified.

"O-k. But you do realize you're really breaking the speed limit here" Jack said hesitantly.

Kimiko snorted "The road's clear, there's no reason to slow down"

A reason to slow down presented itself not five minutes later. The tell-tale sound of a police siren alerted them to their pursuer. Kimiko dutifully slowed down and pulled over.

Jack was wracking his brain trying to figure out the best way out of the mess Kimiko had managed to land them in. He hadn't come up with much by the time the policeman had pulled up with them and was tapping on the window. Kimiko rolled the windshield down, and Jack was getting ready to improvise something when the unmistakable sound of sobbing caught his attention.

Jack looked at Kimiko only to find the girl dissolved in heart-breaking sobs. His first instinctual reaction was surprise and concern. He leaned towards her and laid his hand on her shoulder wanting to know what was wrong. It just didn't seem like her too break down because a police officer was going to give them a speeding ticket.

Speaking of the man, Kimiko's crying seemed to have the exact same effect on him as they'd had on Jack. The man's face was a mask of concern "Mademoiselle! Qu'est-ce qu'il y a?" he asked.

Jack was about to answer for her, thinking she would unable to speak, but Kimiko effectively silenced him by placing a hand over his and giving it a sharp squeeze. A soft wail escaped her lips "Oh Monsieur…" she began but had to stop, overcome by another wave of tears. When she looked up again, Jack caught her reflection in the rearview mirror, tears were hanging like little crystal drops from her long dark lashes makin her eyes sparkle. Her face was a study in graceful suffering.

When she haltingly began to give the officer an extremely vague account on how some terrible accident had happened and how they had to get to Paris urgently, strategically placed sobs masking her accent, two things dawned on Jack: one, she was lying through her teeth and was faking the tears and two, she was very good at it.

In no time at all, Kimiko had managed to get out of a ticket and back on her way, with only a promise to slow down. Jack stared at her half admiringly, half outraged "What do you call that, Miss Goody-two-shoes?" he asked acidly.

Kimiko brushed away the tears with the back of her hand and smirked at him "What? That's just us weak female's way of getting out of driving tickets and such" she told him brightly.

Jack rubbed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger "I never want to hear you preaching to me about good and evil. Ever." He shook his head "Where do you even learn to do that anyway? Do you practice in front of the mirror, or what?"

"If you're thinking of taking this up, I'd suggest you reconsider, it doesn't work as well for guys" she laughed when Jack glared at her "Actually this was a game I used to play with some girlfriends. We didn't do it on purpose, but whenever we were pulled over, whichever one of us was driving would have to pull on the theatrics." Kimiko gave him a side glance "I never once got a ticket" she admitted modestly.

Jack felt compelled to laugh at her antics "You really are something else, aren't you?" he was rewarded by a dazzling smile.

* * *

Once they reached Paris, Jack guided Kimiko through the streets till they reached their destination. It was a smallish building, unremarkable by any standards.

Jack knocked twice and the door opened to reveal a thin, nervous looking fellow. "Hey, Mike!" Jack greeted the man cheerfully, giving a little wave and strode past him and inside the house.

Kimiko followed after, but paused when she reached Mike "Hi, I'm Kimiko" she said pleasantly, offering her hand.

Mike took he hand and gave it a little shake "Hi" and he smiled shyly at her before motioning for her to go inside.

The house was mostly empty aside from only the most basic of furniture: a table, four chairs and a couple of cabinets. Jack was comfortably seated in one of the chairs and he waved for Kimiko to join him, which she did, having nothing better to do.

"So Mike!" Jack began brightly as the man in question took a seat opposite to him "What's up?"

Kimiko could have sworn she saw Mike's eye twitch "What's up?" he began very quietly "_**What's up!?**_" he asked again, his volume practically doubling. Kimiko understood in that moment that Mike was a nervous breakdown waiting to happen. "My blood pressure is up!! Jack, I don't think you quite understand that you just scrapped over half a million dollars. How much do I need to stress that our funds are really, _**really**_ low? We can't afford to have these kinds of accidents!"

Jack frowned slightly "Dude, it's not like I wrecked it on purpose, it was either us" here he gestured at himself and Kimiko "Or the arm. There really was no choice". Kimiko noted Jack was trying to sound petulant, but by the sound of it he seemed to be taking the matter very seriously.

Mike brought a hand through his thin dark hair in an anxious gesture "I know, I know… I just wish you'd be more careful about these things and not land yourself in situations like that" He heaved a long suffering sigh "I looked at the pieces of arm you sent me, I think I can salvage some parts, but most of it is beyond repair" he said, wracking his hands.

Jack nodded, looking as serious as Kimiko'd ever seen him. Then he seemed to brush the gloom away "Did you bring what I asked for?" he asked brightly.

Mike flinched. Apparently the idea of letting Jack handle expensive equipment was physically painful to him. Another sigh "I did. I also brought Doctor Hoffer to help reattach the new arm. Mind you it lacks the artificial skin tissue, so you'll have to wear long sleeves and gloves" he explained in a monotone.

"I know the drill" Jack assured him "So where's the good Doctor?"

Mike sighed. He did that allot "Out to get breakfast"

"I hope he brings enough for all of us" Jack said. He did not sound particularly hopeful. There was in fact an inflection to his words that suggested that if that were not the case, Mike and the doctor could go without food. Kimiko hoped he was joking… but then again, Jack really loved his food.

"Oh yes. We know better now" Mike drawled, his jaw cradled in his palm.

Jack stared at Mike "You know, I think you're more of a downer than usual. What's up with you?" Jack asked sounding genuinely curious.

Mike gave him a dead-eyed look "What, you mean besides the fact that you woke me up in the middle of the night to tell me you destroyed a huge part of our investments, or that you dragged me to Paris when you know how busy we're back at the "Lair"; or you know, that I had to smuggle all this stuff through the airport. You know, I'm just not sure" sarcasm was practically dripping off his words.

For some reason Kimiko did not find most of this surprising, but one thing did catch her attention "The "Lair" ?" she asked incredulously.

Mike nodded "It's what we call the lab" by the sound of it, he got this question a lot "I'm not even embarrassed to explain that anymore" he added, answering her unspoken question.

Jack nodded throughout the short explanation, and then continued his line of questioning unperturbed "No-o, that's not it. You've been working under me for a some time now, that kinda stuff shouldn't faze you" he said knowingly.

"Longest two years of my life" Mike muttered, then turning to Kimiko he added "I used to have a full head of hair before I met him"

Jack seemed embarrassed by that comment "That's not- I didn't cause- it's not my- I'm pretty sure your hair was on the decline anyway" he fumbled decisively.

Mike shrugged "I guess I'll never know now... though I am fairly certain on the matter". That comment actually earned him a glare from the red-head. Mike looked like that made him feel slightly better.

"Your hair is a fascinating topic for conversation, but I really think we should not pursue this any longer. Really" Jack suggested through clenched teeth.

Mike only shrugged.

"Now that you got that out of your system, could you please tell me why you're so upset?" Jack was nothing if not persistent.

It was Mike's turn to look embarrassed, he darted a couple of furtive glances at Kimiko " God. Look my mother's coming to visit, ok? As if I wasn't stressed enough" he said in a bitter undertone, carefully avoiding everyone's eyes.

Kimiko blinked, she could not think of a proper response to that. Jack made a sympathetic "Eesh" noise.

There was an awkward moment of silence, which Jack dutifully ended "Sooo… so, where's the stuff?" Jack, always quick on the getaway.

"In the other room. Big crates, you can't miss them" Mike instructed, nodding his head in the correct direction.

That was all Jack needed, he practically skipped his way out of the room, rubbing his hands together excitedly; which left Mike and Kimiko to stare at each other.

Kimiko smiled tentatively "So Mike, how did you end up working with Jack?" she'd been wondering about that; the two were like oil and water, they just didn't seem to mix.

Mike seemed surprised by the question "I honestly don't remember, it seems like it was so long ago, though it's only been two years" he laughed suddenly, and it seemed to light up his face "I make him sound a lot worse than he really is. Truthfully, he's not a bad boss, he has his little quirks and God knows he can be careless, but everybody has their bad moments-" he was interrupted by a series of metallic clanks from the next room accompanied by Jack's loud exclamation of "Oops! Oh no- no, wait, no, it's ok, everything's alright!" Mike grimaced, probably envisioning expensive bits of technology getting smashed to smithereens and amended "Ok… maybe not as extreme as him, but you get the point"

Kimiko smiled fondly "Oh yes, you could say I'm familiar with his quirky nature. See, I've known Jack for a pretty long time"

Mike nodded "I know, he's told me about you" Kimiko raised an eyebrow "Only good things" Mike assured her quickly. Though judging by how fast he corrected that, Kimiko was willing to bet Jack had let drop some less flattering things in those stories.

Kimiko smiled "Good" she was going to ask for particulars, but Jack chose that moment to enter the room brandishing a couple of guns.

"Kim! Kim! Check these out!" Jack exclaimed excitedly, holding the guns out for her to examine. He was holding them right under her nose.

"Yes Jack, they're very nice" Kimiko said pulling back warily "Please point them away from my face"

Jack took them back, pouting "They're not loaded" he said defensively.

Kimiko grinned up at him "I don't know Jack, but for some reason it always makes me nervous seeing you with guns, Jack"

Mike's eyes opened wide and he leaned forward in his chair "Thank you!" he told Kimiko emphatically, and then turning towards Jack "See, Jack?" he demanded triumphantly "See!".

Jack merely rolled his eyes "Mike, all guns make you nervous. Kimiko's only nervous when I'm holding a gun"

Kimiko and Mike had on identical looks of bemusement. Mike cleared his throat "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" he asked Jack.

"No" Jack said, shaking his head "I was merely stating a fact"

Kimiko giggled and mike just dropped his shoulders in defeat "Jack did you notice I put in some of the new generation spy-bots, why don't you go give them a spin?" he suggested wearily.

"Really? You guys got them done? That was quick!" Jack said happily oblivious to the thing known as "ulterior motives". "How did you get them to stop the erratic swiveling? Did you try the method I suggested?" he was practically bouncing with excitement.

Even Mike seemed amused by this display "Yeah, that's what did it" was all he had time to say before Jack was off again.

"This is one of Jack's redeeming qualities" Mike whispered conspiratorially to Kimiko "he's so easily distracted. Very convenient at times. Also, extremely annoying at times. You just need to learn to use it to your advantage"

Kimiko nodded knowingly "I know what you mean, but it works for him. This dubious combination of qualities he possesses. I'm pretty sure he's the only one who can pull it off"

Mike gave her a steady, measuring look "I don't mean to pry… well, ok I do, but are you two… um- do you … like Jack?" he asked carefully in a quiet voice.

Kimiko's eyebrows shot up and she was almost tempted to tell Mike to not poke his nose in other people's business, but she reconsidered "Yeah, I guess I do like him" and she couldn't have stopped the smile from surfacing if she'd have taped the corners of her mouth.

To Kimiko's surprise, Mike looked relieved, he said as much "Well, I'm relieved to hear that" he seemed disinclined to say anything else.

Kimiko narrowed her eyes at him "Was there a point to that question?" she asked, her tone not exactly friendly.

Mike looked uncomfortable "Uh, I'm pretty sure Jack wouldn't appreciate me telling you this"

"Yes, well the world wasn't built to accommodate Jack, there's no reason for you to pretend otherwise just now" Kimiko said drily. Personally she felt she was being a bit harsh on poor Mike, but the whole Jack issue was still pretty new to her and Kimiko couldn't help being a bit insecure; insecurity made Kimiko aggressive.

Mike was taken aback by that "Ok, that's forceful. Maybe that's what he likes about you" he said speculatively.

"Mike, you said Jack told you about me. Did he ever happen to mention my gift of patience?"Kimiko asked sweetly.

Mike pretended to look pensive "No, not that I can recall" it would have been rude to do otherwise.

Kimiko nodded "That's because I do not possess the gift of patience" she said pleasantly.

He stared at her for a moment before letting out a bark of laughter "Now I definitely get why he likes you, you're just as crazy as he is"

"I bet you could have phrased that better" Kimiko grimaced.

"Possibly" Mike grinned "but you get what I mean. So look, Jack likes you, a lot I think. When he got this job, recovering that statue, he did everything he possibly could to make everything perfect just to impress you. He was more psychotic than usual, which is saying something. You must have left quite a mark on him when you were kids"

"Oh" she said intelligently.

"Hard to imagine, I know. Nevertheless, he likes you and I figured it would help if you knew, since you don't look like the kind of girl that'd lead him along if you didn't like him back" Mike concluded.

Kimiko blinked rapidly a few times "Wow, thanks for sharing that with me… that was very, informative" she improvised, because saying "oh" again just didn't seem appropriate; not to mention that in truth it had been extremely informative. To think that Jack had been so determined to impress her, unless of course Mike was exaggerating. It was a very flattering thing to know.

As coincidence would have it, both Jack and the doctor burst into the room just then, albeit through different doors. They were both wearing identical looks of excitement, but that was the only similarity between the two men.

While Jack was tall and lanky, Doctor Hoffer was a middle aged man with a squat and rotund build, he also wore a beard. He was holding a large grocery bag that had bread baguettes sticking out of it; Jack had half a dozen spherical robots hovering by his head.

When the two of them laid eyes on each other they both let out loud exclamations of greeting.

"Doc!"

"Jack!"

Kimiko halfway expected them to run at each other arms spread out for a big hug. Fortunately, they refrained from doing so. They opted for a handshake instead.

"Jack ma boy, have you been waiting long? I was out buying some breakfast, and I must have gotten distracted by all the options" the doctor said, putting the bag down on one of the shorter cabinets.

Jack shrugged "Not long. Hey Doc, let me introduce you to Kimiko, my partner in crime" he said striding over to stand by Kimiko. She looked up at him, wondering at his choice of words.

Hoffer seemed to just notice her then "Oh dear, how rude of me" he said apologetically, making his way over to her.

Kimiko stood up and smiled at the bearded doctor, he had a very endearing demeanor, he looked like someone's grandfather "Hi, I'm Kimiko" she said, extending her hand.

Hoffer shook her hand "I'm Doctor Hoffer, but you can just call me Roger" he said pleasantly.

"What, am I invisible now?" Mike complained in his bored voice.

Hoffer turned to him, feigning surprise "Oh hey there Mike, I didn't see you sitting just there"

Mike rolled his eyes "I told you I was sorry I forgot to bring your damned sandwich bag, would you just give it a rest?"

Doctor Hoffer gave him a cold glare "My wife packed those sandwiches for me" he said resentfully.

Watching the three guys interact, Kimiko began to form a pretty good image of how a regular work day would look in the "Lair". Even as she thought the word she added mental air quotes.

Jack watched with interest for a couple of minutes as Mike and the doctor bickered back and forth. It was much like watching a tennis match: back and forth, back and forth. When he eventually got bored with it, he wasted no time in interrupting. He clapped his hands together loudly, twice "Ok boys, you know I love watching you guys argue, but Kimiko's looking worried, so let's get a move on shall we?"

Hoffer and Mike exchanged one last death glare, before the doctor wandered off, presumably to retrieve his equipment "I'm just going to get the tools of the trade. Jack could you get the arm?" said the doctor.

A nervous look crossed Jack's face "Um, you know what? Why don't we just do this in the next room, instead of bringing all that stuff in here" he suggested, sounding a little panicked.

Everybody looked a bit surprised by this request, but the doctor agreed and so the two left the room together.

This left Kimiko and Mike to once again find a way to pass the time together. Unsurprisingly they both decided that the best way to go was to exchange accounts of embarrassing/disturbing experiences involving Jack. There seemed to be a never-ending supply of those.

When Jack came back into the room, he had both arms, though the prosthetic one was in a sling, the right sleeve was rolled up "I'm not supposed to use for the next few hours" he said pointing at it.

Kimiko went to get a closer look at it, which for some reason seemed to make Jack a little uncomfortable, he actually took half a step backwards. Kimiko shot him a strange look before switching her focus back to the robotic arm. She couldn't see much of it because of the sling, but the parts she could see looked insanely complex, and also pretty cool. This was what baffled her about Jack's behavior, he loved showing off so she could not imagine why he would be so shy about showing her what could possibly be his best work yet. Still, she refrained from touching it.

Jack decided he didn't want to stick around after that, despite Doctor Hoffer's attempt at tempting him by waving the grocery bag under his nose.

Everybody helped to load the equipment in the car, except Jack who used his one hand to direct the others. The four exchanged quick goodbyes, before Jack and Kimiko got in the car and drove off. Kimiko was, obviously, the designated driver.

Kimiko drove at the much more sedate pace this time, she felt Jack was agitated enough and she didn't want to damage the stuff in the trunk. She gave Jack a side glance and saw he was rubbing his right arm, almost like he was making sure it was there. He looked preoccupied and a little sad.

Kimiko cleared her throat "Well, I have to say Jack, that was an extremely interesting get-together" she said conversationally.

Jack snapped out of his trance "Interesting good? Or interesting bad?" he wanted to know.

Kimiko smiled "Oh, I don't know, I found out a lot, and I mean _**a lot**_, of interesting things about you" she teased.

Jack's face was always ready for a performance; he grimaced, grinned lopsidedly and rolled his eyes all at once. The amazing thing was that one could tell he did all of that just by looking at the side of his face. "Mike should really stop blabbing off like that" he mumbled.

Kimiko quirked an eyebrow at him "Oh come on, I was blabbing off as well" she pointed out.

Jack looked a bit taken aback "Oh-kaaaay… that's, not so good. Um, well I guess it's ok if you were _**both**_ telling embarrassing stories about me" he said defeatedly.

Kimiko snorted "Oh and I also found out that prolonged association with you leads to hair-loss" she said matter of factly.

Jack covered his face with his left hand "I'm going to kill Mike" he muttered.

* * *

888

Read and review guys, I may not deserve it, lazy as I am, but it's still a nice thing to do

Next chapter: the long awaited capture of the salamander. I get the feeling some of you might hate after I post that one.

I can hear you now, the collective cry of "Oh God, what is she planning now? She makes us wait six months for a new chapter and now this!?"

Ahaha…eh, I'm a terrible person. I will try not to take as long in updating this time around.


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